The 26-year-old Johan Grobbelaar is back in Pretoria with the Herd and ready to focus on the 2024-25 season after a successful first stint with the Boks. He earned his first two Test caps this year and was part of the squad that clinched the Rugby Championship title on Saturday.
Reflecting on his time with the national team, Grobbelaar today told reporters during a Bulls conference: “It was an amazing experience spending some time with the Springboks and [a] privilege to get two caps this year, my first two. Winning the Rugby Championship was quite special, and getting to be a part of that.”
However, the excitement of international success hasn’t distracted Grobbelaar from his focus on the URC. Since returning to the Bulls last week, his attention has shifted fully to the new season. “That’s one box ticked, a great achievement and we’ve enjoyed it thoroughly, but since last week it’s been all URC for me, and I’m really looking forward to the new season,” he said.
Despite his recent rise in the national setup, Grobbelaar knows that staying with the Boks will require hard work. He remains hopeful that strong performances for the Bulls could enhance his chances of being included in Rassie Erasmus’ plans for the end-of-year tour to the UK, and potentially even the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
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“Hopefully I get another chance,” he admitted. “If you go into the setup, not only the games you play but every week you get measured and looked at, how you train and where your mindset is. I hope to still be a part of the [Bok] plans and I’ll keep on working every day. We all know Rassie and his team are keeping a close eye on everyone playing in the URC.”
While national selection remains in the background, Grobbelaar’s primary focus is on helping the Bulls succeed. He believes that performing well as a team can boost individual prospects. “If your team does well, you automatically look good. So I’m not thinking about the national setup or focused on that at the moment.”
Grobbelaar is also confident that the experience gained with the Boks will benefit the Bulls. Along with fellow forwards Ruan Nortje and Elrigh Louw, he believes that what they’ve learned at Test level can translate into success at club level. “Getting to play Test rugby is obviously the next level, and that experience being brought back to the Bulls will help us in this campaign.
“It’ll all help us and put us in a better position to win this competition.”
Looking ahead to the Bulls’ match against Ulster on Saturday, Grobbelaar acknowledges the need to address their set-piece struggles from last week’s victory over Edinburgh. The Bulls traditionally pride themselves on their forward play, but their scrums and lineouts were below par in their season opener.
“Last week against Edinburgh wasn’t our best performance at scrum time and in the lineouts, but it’s definitely something that we’ll fix, and this coming weekend we’ll be much better,” Grobbelaar assured.
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