The Vodacom Bulls are hard at work in preparation for the Vodacom Super Rugby season next year, with some new faces amongst the regular squad members.
New Vodacom Bulls player Lizo Gqoboka has settled in well amongst his team mates and is working hard with the rest of the Vodacom Super Rugby squad assembled in Pretoria. Winger Luther Obi will join the squad on Wednesday as the Bulls step up preparations at Loftus Versfeld for next year’s extended Vodacom Super Rugby competition, where the Vodacom Bulls are working hard to achieve success in 2016.
A number of injured players will join the fray as they complete rehabilitation, while those playing club rugby in Japan will return during the course of January 2016. The 5 returning from Japan are Grant Hattingh, Handré Pollard, JJ Engelbrecht, Bjorn Basson and Jesse Kriel.
The injured players (with date of return in brackets) are Deon Stegmann, Jannes Kirsten, Nick de Jager and Travis Ismaiel (all December), Irne Herbst, Morné Mellett, Jaco Visagie, Roelof Smit, Ruan Steenkamp, Hanro Liebenberg, Piet van Zyl, Dries Swanepoel and Warrick Gelant (January) and Callie Visagie (February).
The squad, under new coach Nollis Marais, will have a youthful, but familiar look, as most of the players came through the junior ranks in Pretoria.
Vodacom Bulls High Performance Manager, Xander Janse van Rensburg, on Monday said there is great excitement to have Gqoboka and Obi in the squad. “They are highly rated all around and we have been trying to get them to Pretoria for a while now. We are pretty pleased with the fact that they have joined the Bulls family and are keen to see their contributions to the squad.”
According to Janse van Rensburg, talks with 3 other Kings players, Sylvian Mahuza, Thembelani Bholi and Tim Agaba, are on-going and they could still join the team in the near future.
Negotiations with Francois Hougaard is also going well and if successful, could still see the scrumhalf in blue when he is not playing Sevens for the Blitzbokke. Francois Brummer is also on loan from the Steval Pumas and the former stalwart could add to his lone Vodacom Bulls cap, gained in 2010.
“Our squad has a youthful look, but the nice thing about that is the fact that we are relying on our junior structures to deliver the goods. We have a new management group, a new generation of players and a new way we want to approach things. That said, we still need to stick to some of those things that made the Bulls great in the past. This is a long-term team we are building. We understand that we need to have strong 1st phase possession to play the way we want to and that our skills will have to improve. Everybody is working very hard to achieve that, “Janse van Rensburg said.
Vodacom Bulls Squad:
Forwards:
- Props: Trevor Nyakane, Pierre Schoeman, Lizo Gqoboka, Dean Greyling, Nqoba Mxoli, Morné Mellett, Marcel van der Merwe, Werner Kruger, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Entienne Swanepoel.
- Hookers: Adriaan Strauss, Bandise Maku, Corniel Els, Jaco Visagie, Callie Visagie.
- Locks: RG Snyman, Jason Jenkins, Jannes Kirsten, Marvin Orie, Nicholaas Janse van Rensburg, Le Roux Roets, Irne Herbst, Grant Hattingh.
- Loose forwards: Lappies Labuschagne, Roelof Smit, Ruan Steenkamp, Deon Stegmann, Freddy Ngoza, Nick de Jager, Arno Botha, Clyde Davids, Hanro Liebenberg.
Backs:
- Scrumhalves: Rudy Paige, Ivan van Zyl, Piet van Zyl.
- Flyhalves: Tian Schoeman, Francois Brummer, Joshua Stander, Handré Pollard.
- Midfielders: Burger Odendaal, Jan Serfontein, Daniel Kriel, JT Jackson, Dries Swanepoel, JJ Engelbrecht, Jesse Kriel.
- Wings: Jamba Ulengo, Jade Stigling, Kafense Mahlo, Travis Ismaiel, Luther Obi, Bjorn Basson.
- Fullbacks: Duncan Matthews, Divan Rossouw, Warrick Gelant.
The squad will have a training camp at Victoria Falls from 29 January 2016 and will play the Toyota Cheetahs on 6 February 2016 in Zimbabwe.
Their 1st Vodacom Super Rugby fixture will be against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town on 27 February 2016.
Not a bad squad at all… couple of troubling positions…
Locks: One more senior ENFORCER lock would have been a great addition
Scrumhalves: Little bit thin there, but if Hougie could join up for the occasional game then it should be OK (What about the rumours that he’ll be part of the Kings though?)
Wings & Back 3: Not a heap of experience there, but certainly some very exciting players to play an attacking game!
The Kings squad is being well and truly dismantled. It has to be pretty damn shit at the Kings for players to rather come play vodacom cup/currie cup for the blue bulls.
on the up side the Bulls are getting some extra pretty damn good players of colour and building some good depth.
Hopefully there is a plan to use the squad this season and not going into games waiting for injuries to rotate the players… going to be a long season.
“We understand that we need to have strong 1st phase possession to play the way we want to and that our skills will have to improve. Everybody is working very hard to achieve that, “Janse van Rensburg said.”
I really find this disconcerting, so our plan A and only plan will still be to dominate up front and not back down… so when our props are going to get destroyed, there will be know plan to release the ball quicker in the scrum… same old… same effing old… here comes more penalties.
2 @ MacroPolo:
It looks like there is plenty of room for healthy rotation!
Enough props to properly rotate, even if Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger are put to pasture.
Adriaan Strauss will play a hell of a lot at hooker.
Grant Hattingh & RG Snyman will shoulder most of the lock duties, I think.
Enough quality loosies, specially so if Bholi and / or Tim Agaba joins as well.
I have a feeling that Rudy Paige & Handré Pollard will be overplayed a bit at scrumhalf & flyhalf.
Certainly enough centres, both inside and outside, even if they loan JJ Engelbrecht out to the Kings… or the Man on the moon.
Back 3 gained some very vital experience in the Currie Cup, there is plenty of speed and finishing ability… I hope they come through very strong in 2016!
15 Springboks in the group of 55…. 7 of then recent (current) Springboks in 2015.
What my preferred starting 15 would be:
15 Warrick Gelant
14 Travis Ismaiel / Luther Obi
13 Jesse Kriel
12 Jan Serfontein
11 Jamba Ulengo
10 Handré Pollard
9 Rudy Paige
8 Tim Agaba / Arno Botha
7 Lappies Labuschagne (Captain)
6 Roelof Smit
5 Grant Hattingh
4 RG Snyman
3 Marcel van der Merwe
2 Adriaan Strauss
1 Trevor Nyakane
Bulls se slot gehalte amper so goed soos die cheetahs se voory gehalte
Baie min ervaring by die Bulle, twee of driee vroee verlore en dit gaan rof opdraend wees. Ek het dieselfde voorspel in die Currie Beker voorspel toe ons so goed begin het dat die wiele uiteindelik sal afkom, en daai laaste paar weke was baie baie telleurstellend.
Die Bulle gaan baie moet steun in die min ervare spelers soos Basson en Steggies.
Ek twyfel nou of ons eintlik die uitspeel rondtes sal haal.
Maar soos die Crusaders 2001, Bulls 2002, Lions 2013, Reds, Waratahs 2007, Brumbies 2011, Stormers 2005, Highlanders 2013, Bokke 2007, All Blacks 2009 Australia 2013-14 moet mens dalk eers rockbottom tref voor jy weer kan opstuig.
8 @ MacroPolo:
Ek dink mens sal ‘n meer akkurate prentjie kry sodra al die Super Rugby squads bekend is.
Wat ek hou van hierdie groep, is dat dit genoeg spelermateriaal bevat om die spelpatroon aan te pas na ‘n meer geballanseerde tipe spelpatroon.
…. en as dit beteken daar moet geleidelik gebou word, dan is ek tevrede daarmee…
@ grootblousmile:
Ek wonder die laaste tyd baie oor hierdie “spel patroon” ding.
Dink enige iemand werklik dat die Lions die laaste tyd meer tyd spandeer daaraan om meer aanvallende rugby te speel? Die Stormers sukkel al die laaste paar jaar, dink enige iemand WERKLIK hulle geen effort maak nie, veral na 2011-2012?
Wat die Lions gedoen het is hulle is n fantastiese gees en kultuur geskep vir n spel patroon met “flair” om te ontwikkel, en dit het ook als gekom na hulle die grond getref het en die ouens het bymekaar gekom in n tyd van nood., die Stormers het dit ook gehad in hul suksesvolle jare, dit is asof die ouens hulle lewens op die lyn sal dit vir mekaar… dit is wat die All Blacks ook het.
My warry is, is Nolis gewasse genoeg om die ouens bymekaar te ruk as die ding begin ontrafel, het ons die spelers of leiers in die span wat dit kan doen?
11 @ MacroPolo:
Die tyd sal leer.
Dit is actually exciting times… baie vernuwing oral.
11 @ MacroPolo:
Dis makliker om nuwe spelpatrone te skep en te vestig by jonger spelers terwyl ouer spelers te maklik terugval na dit wat bekend is.
Die Bulls groep is oorwegend jonk.
7: hehe, goeie een.
Snyman en Hattingh is nie te sleg nie, maar albei 5 slotte. Ons kort ernstig ‘n Bakkies/Eben tipe slot, en ek sien nie so iemand in daardie groep nie. Jenkins dalk oor so 2 jaar, nie nou al nie.
Daar is nie enige groot verwagtinge vir hierdie span om sukses te haal nie, Stormers en Leeus is baie meer gevestig en het baie beter kans op sukses.
Brummer as 3de losskakel ? Eish, dan het mens regtig nie enige titel aspirasies nie !
So laat ons sien wat die jongmanne kan doen, maar vir die eerste keer in jare sal ek bloot tevrede wees as ons net vordering kan toon in ‘n nuwe meer bal in hand spelpatroon, met hier en daar hopelik ‘n goeie wen.
The squad is still too big by about 15 or so, so it’ll have to be whittled down somewhat to about 40 I suppose… I hope that is done cleverly!
Nice squad. Now send us Callie Visagie, we need a hooker in Cape Town.
One more session like that and we can kiss our undefeated streak goodbye. India dominating under the circumstances.
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