Coach Johan Ackermann is waiting to hear if one of the Vodacom Bulls’ big acquisitions will be available for their URC opener on Saturday.
Bulls sweat on new signing, Willie unavailable
Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, who joined from Montpellier ahead of the new season, is nursing a knee injury that has disrupted his pre-season preparations.
According to reports, he 31-year-old lock/flank will only be considered for selection against the Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld if his knee shows no swelling after next week’s training sessions.
Janse van Rensburg impressed in conditioning tests before the setback, outperforming most of his new teammates, and his absence has been a major frustration for both player and coach.
Ackermann also confirmed this week that the Bulls are dealing with a lengthy injury list heading into the opening round, with Kurt-Lee Arendse, Johan Goosen, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Vermaak, Akker van der Merwe and Reinhardt Ludwig all sidelined.
In addition, several Springboks remain unavailable due to Rugby Championship duty, including Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortjé and Wilco Louw.
Willie le Roux was expected to link up with the Bulls squad in Pretoria this week, having been dropped from the Springbok squad, but the Boks requested that the veteran fullback remain in Durban to provide training cover ahead of their clash with Argentina at Kings Park.
Ackermann stressed that while the ambition is clear, success won’t come without hard graft.
“It’s something we really want, so we want to prepare the team really well. Ultimately, I must just make sure the players, the staff and everybody works as hard as we can but make sure that we enjoy what we’re doing because it’s a game that we love.
“There will always be pressure for any team that puts on a jersey and goes out to win. There’s no question that we want to win, but it doesn’t just work like that – you have to earn the right to win that trophy.”
