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After joking that Willie le Roux was 'making me bloody old' with his positioning errors, Bulls boss Jake White said he knew the Springbok veteran would improve.
Willie le Roux will start at flyhalf again for the Bulls this weekend. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
After acknowledging his errors in last week’s game against the Stormers, Bulls director of rugby Jake White has decided to give Springbok veteran Willie le Roux another start at number 10 in their United Rugby Championship (URC) game against the Sharks at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 5pm).
Two-time Springbok World Cup-winning fullback Le Roux came off the bench to play at flyhalf against the Lions in their Jukskei derby in January, and with Johan Goosen injured for up to 10 weeks, the seasoned fullback was given the responsibility of starting at No 10 against the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend.
After the Stormers game, White said sometimes Le Roux was good on the ball and at other times “he looked like a fullback trying to slot in at 10”.
White said Le Roux seemed to be indecisive and appeared in and out of position at times.
White shows Willie his video
Still, White said it was still unfair to judge Le Roux in a new position so soon and against an attacking Stormers outfit.
After naming his squad for the Sharks game, White said he was confident 35-year-old Le Roux would only grow into the role.
“I gave him the video. When he said, ‘What do you mean I turn you old?’ I said, ‘Look here, you were standing here and then I looked again and you weren’t standing there. You remember that?’ He said, ‘Oh, okay’,” White narrated.
White said he didn’t change the backline for the Sharks game because it was only fair since Le Roux last played at flyhalf regularly for Japanese side Toyota Verblitz in 2022 and 2023.
“If you think about it, it’s a helluva ask for a guy. I know he’s talented but to ask a guy from 15 to go straight into 10 in a big derby game in Cape Town against a team that have won that conference and been in two finals.
“He was always going to make one or two errors. The thinking now is to have him and Emi [scruhalf Embrose Papier] together and the rest of the backline as it was. It can only make it better for them.”
White said mistakes the backline had made against the Stormers in terms of communication and losing shape would be better this weekend.
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