Injury-free Johan Goosen loving getting best out of Bulls backs

The Bulls’ attack has been the best in the United Rugby Championship this season, and the key to that has been the influence of a healthy Johan Goosen, who has been playing without any niggles.

A good portion of Goosen’s time at the Bulls has been spent on the sidelines because of injuries. This season, it seems he is past his injury troubles, and has been regularly available for selection. Playing without any injuries and keeping in good condition has brought the best out of the No 10.

‘Body is feeling well’

“It’s nice to train without pain so you can focus on the stuff you need to do during the week for the game,” Goosen said.

“It’s nice to be positive and train well and do that on game day. I must say that my body is feeling well,” he said.

Goosen has marshalled the Bulls’ attack well this season, forming a halfback pairing with Embrose Papier. The flyhalf has been lethal with the boot, kicking 98 points. Playing with a talented backline has made things easier for Goosen.

“It’s really nice,” he said when asked about linking up the Bulls backline.

“If you look at our back three and David (Kriel) and Stedman (Gans) our centre combination…if we get the ball to Kurt-Lee (Arendse), Canan (Moodie), and Willie (le Roux), it’s quite nice to see what they can do with the ball.

“My job is just to get the team in the right direction and playing in the right areas of the field. It’s nice to have those guys at the back, and they can do the fancy stuff,” he said.

‘Right mindset’

Next for the Bulls in the URC is a date with the Dragons this Saturday at Rodney Parade (9.35 pm), a ground where Goosen once picked up a fairly serious injury. Looking ahead to the game, Goosen said the team are focused on the task at hand.

“It’s a tough game to go and play, the weather is not nice, it is what it is. Everyone is expecting us to win but it’s not going to be an easy game, so we are taking it seriously.

“We are training hard, and we are going with the right mindset to this game to do our best. We are focused on ourselves.”