Bulls sweat over Willie le Roux’s availability for URC final at Loftus

The Bulls’ progression in the United Rugby Championship playoffs has once again been dampened by an injury, with Willie le Roux now doubtful for next Saturday’s final against the Glasgow Warriors at Loftus Versfeld.

In the 25-20 semifinal win over Leinster on Saturday night in Pretoria, Le Roux played his best game in a Bulls jersey. He controlled matters from fullback, executing the strategy of kicking into space and putting the team on the front foot with 50/22 kicks.

However, he could not finish the game as he was substituted in the second half, just before the hour mark, due to a failed Head Injury Assessment (HIA) test.

With fellow Springboks outside backs Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse already out for the Bulls, Le Roux’s injury is a significant concern as they prepare to host the Warriors in the Grand Final.

“This is obviously not great”

Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, provided an update on Le Roux’s injury, noting that his neck is also troubling him.

“It’s not just an HIA; he got whacked on his neck as well, so he’ll have to get his neck looked at from an injury point of view,” White said when speaking to the media.

“This is obviously not great because we already have Canan and Kurt-Lee injured.

“I thought he was outstanding to be fair, people underestimate his value; just from the way he talks on the field, those kicks he did at the back.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to put someone in his place if he’s not available. You don’t want to play games with HIA; you don’t want to push guys into that situation.

“Who knows maybe tomorrow it’s the neck that’s more sore, and the HIA protocols he’ll be fine but I’m not banking on that,” he said.

“We are getting better as a group”

The Bulls last contested the URC final in 2022, where they lost to their local rivals, the Stormers. On their way to that final, they defeated Leinster in Dublin. As fate would have it, they have defeated Leinster again en route to reaching their second final in three seasons of the URC.

White stated that the feat of reaching the final by beating Leinster, who were overwhelming favourites, shows the growth of the team.

“Tonight wasn’t supposed to happen, I don’t think anybody thought we could beat Leinster, and this doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with that,” White said.

“Leinster is a hell of a team, Leinster is not an average rugby team and to beat them twice in three years means that we are getting better as a group.

“The things we are getting better at are doing the basics well, doing the set-piece well, and defending well. I’m excited about adding to that and keep building those building blocks,” he said.