Adriaan Strauss

The Vodacom Bulls could have snapped up the signing of the year locally as Springbok hooker and Toyota Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss looks set to be heading back to Pretoria.

Strauss is yet to sign the contract, and the Bulls could only open negotiations with him today – 1 July – but sources close to the Cheetahs camp have confirmed that Strauss has already said no to a contract extension with his province and now seems set on returning to Pretoria.

The Grey College graduate, who played his junior rugby in Pretoria and made his Vodacom Super Rugby debut there as well, before returning to the Cheetahs is being chased as well by the Stormers, who also have made a big money offer to sign him.

But it seems the Bulls have won the race, with indications that the deal could be finalised this week already and that Strauss will be a possible captain for the Bulls in next year’s Super Rugby series.

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Strauss’ in-laws stay in Pretoria but the hooker has two businesses in Bloemfontein and a farm on the outskirts of the city, both which will have weighed heavily on his mind when he took his decision to leave.

It will be a massive loss for the Cheetahs if he does leave, and coach Naka Drotske apparently made a big money offer for him to stay but again looks to have been outbid by a bigger franchise.

The Bulls have money available after suffering two successive exodus’ in the past few years and are keen for a big name to join them.

They currently have Callie Visagie, who was part of the recent Springbok extended squad for the Castle Lager Incoming Series as their first choice with promising youngster Bongi Mbonambi and veteran Bok Bandise Maku as their other hookers.

Maku has however, put in a request to be released from his contract, and is not the happiest of players after getting only one appearance off the bench for the Bulls this season.

Mbonambi is also unhappy and hasn’t signed a contract extension before the transfer season opened as the Bulls continue to play Visagie almost exclusively in their Super Rugby campaign.

Strauss will be an ideal candidate to captain the side in 2015, and is known to be good friends with current captain and assistant coach Victor Matfield, who will take over as coach in 2016.

If he does leave, Strauss will join a host of players who are leaving the Cheetahs this season either overseas or for big money offers locally.

Further decisions are also expected on Trevor Nyakane and Lappies Labuschagne, who are both in the market to move as well.

Nyakane looked set to go to the Bulls, but now it seems the Stormers may have won that battle for his signature while Labuschagne is courting offers from both the Sharks and Bulls for his services.

Last week the Cheetahs lost midfielder Johan Sadie to Japan while regular No 8 Phillip van der Walt is heading for Biarritz and flyhalf Johan Goosen heading for Racing Metro, both in France.

Other players who have confirmed their moves include fullback Hennie Daniller to Zebre in Italy, Riaan “True Blue” Smit to Oyonnax in France, Ligtoring Landman (Newport and Gwent Dragons), Nick Schonert (Worcester Warriors), Kevin Luiters (EP Kings) and Andries Ferreira (Zebre).

Add to this the name of midfielder Piet Lindeque who has apparently been released from his contract to concentrate rather on his farming business.

On the positive side the Cheetahs have signed Lions flyhalf Willie du Plessis, who won the Varsity Cup with Tuks a few years ago.

A few other signings are imminent, with Bok prop Coenie Oosthuizen set to extend his contract with the franchise, while the Cheetahs have already set about looking for replacements for the players leaving the province.