Five things the Bulls have learned so far this season

The Bulls have had a good season so far, aside from a dismal Champions Cup campaign that saw them win just one match out of four.

They are third on the United Rugby Championship’s (URC) overall log and while they finished third (second from bottom) in the SA shield, they were strong contenders with three wins from six games, finishing just two points below the winners, the Sharks.

It’s been a long time – almost six months, to be precise – since the start of the URC and the Bulls have adapted as new challenges as they’ve arisen. Here are five things they’ve learned.

Willie: More than just a fullback for the Bulls

With the 8-10 week knee injury sustained by last season’s golden boot winner, Johan Goosen, and falling out of favour of Boeta Chamberlain, the Bulls were pressed in the kicking department.

Centre, David Kriel, took over post-kicking duties, but to everyone’s surprise, Bulls boss Jake White opted to move Willie le Roux from fullback to flyhalf.

White said at a time when his first three-choice captains were injured, Le Roux boosted leadership by being closer to his teammates in that number 10 position even though the 98-Test veteran spent most of his career at fullback.

He made a few errors since coming off the bench in January, and starting matches at 10 since February, but with grace and confidence shown by White, and trust shown by his teammates, Le Roux has looked increasingly better.

Goal-kickers are worth their weight in gold

It was expected that White would take measures to cushion his kicking department after losing Goosen and the falling out of favour of Chamberlain and Jaco van der Walt.

But few would have foreseen the Bulls making the highest bid for Springbok ace Handré Pollard following the ending of his contract at Leicester Tigers.

The 30-year-old double World Cup winner has been confirmed to join the Bulls on a two-year deal after three seasons at the English side.

While Goosen is injury-prone, Pollard’s addition will mean the Bulls would have the two statistically best goal-kickers in South Africa. Talk about turning a weakness into a strength.

Balancing squad strength and rotation

Amid a three-game losing streak, Jake White named a team full of third and fourth-choice players to take on Castres away in the Champions Cup in January.

It featured no players in the starting XV who played against Northampton Saints – their closest loss of the tournament.

He defended his decision by citing plans he made earlier in the season to rotate players, and the benefit the experience of a game like that would have on his younger athletes.

The result was a one-sided 49–10 hiding in France, not that anyone was surprised by the result. White has not made any widespread changes to the squad since then.

Cameron Hanekom is an absolute gem

It is no surprise that 22-year-old no 8 Cameron Hanekom has been nominated for SA Rugby’s Young Player of the Year award.

In a season that saw him make his debut for the Springboks (against Wales in November) the tall and fast back row player has been indispensable for the Bulls with his carries and tackles especially.

Even on his worst days, Hanekom is a cut about the rest.

His man-of-the-match performance against the Stormers in February will stand out for many. With players eyeing the URC local derbies as opportunities to impress Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, Hanekom’s explosive chase at the kick-off set the tone for a commanding performance from the Bulls.

There is no substitute for speed

White’s player rotation hurt the Bulls again when he admitted he got selection wrong against the Sharks in their URC match at Loftus in February.

The Sharks backline proved too fast and indeed, impossible to catch after a line break. Even Sharks flanker  Tinotenda Mavesere could not be caught following his line break as he scored a try to help the Sharks win 29–19.

White said afterwards the Sharks had proved faster man for man, and in his next game he selected Sebastian de Klerk to replace Sergeal Petersen at right wing and Stedman Gans to replace Harold Vorster at outside centre.

The coach said Hanekom had also been missed because he could have quickly filled gaps before they appeared.