A Bulls … and South African rugby legend waves goodbye

Adriaan Strauss has officially announced that he will be retiring from all forms of the game at the end of the 2018 Super Rugby season, concluding a sterling 14-year rugby career.

The 32-year-old hooker announced his retirement from Test rugby last year, and followed that with a short sabbatical to recharge his batteries in the later part of the year.

Strauss came back strong and revived, and reminded the world just why he has been rated so highly over his career, as he made a huge impact on the Bulls’ Super Rugby season.

He started his professional career within the Bulls junior system in 2004, going on to make his Super Rugby debut in 2006, playing in 8 Super matches before moving to the Cheetahs, where he represented the franchise in 97 Super Rugby outings.

The hooker was then lured back to Pretoria, where he played another 51 Super matches, making him the most capped South African Super Rugby player of all time with 156 caps to date.

Strauss captained the Vodacom Bulls in 2016 and 2017, and was also appointed as the Springbok captain in 2016, becoming the 56^th captain of the national team.

Xander Janse van Rensburg, High Performance Manager of the Bulls, wished Strauss all the best with his future endeavours: “Adriaan is no doubt a legend of Loftus and rugby in this country in general, and will be remembered for his never-say-die attitude. You don’t get to 156 caps unless you are made of something really special.”

In turn, Strauss thanked the Vodacom Bulls for backing him: “It hasn’t been an easy decision, but one that I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I have been blessed to play the game I love, with and against some amazing people, all while building some great friendships. The Vodacom Bulls have always backed me and given me the opportunity to prove myself.”

Meanwhile, Strauss has travelled to Singapore as a non-playing reserve as the Bulls prepare for Saturday’s meeting with the Sunwolves.

Bok pivot Handre Pollard will captain the side in Burger Odendaal’s absence.

Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Jamba Ulengo, Jesse Kriel, Johnny Kotze, Divan Rossouw, Handre Pollard (c), Embrose Papier, Hanro Liebenberg, Jannes Kirsten, Marco van Staden, RG Snyman, Jason Jenkins, Conraad van Vuuren, Jaco Visagie, Pierre Schoeman. Bench: Edgar Marutlulle, Simphiwe Matanzima, Morne Smith, Thembelani Bholi, Nic de Jager, Andre Warner, Manie Libbok, Dries Swanepoel.