Jake White full of praise for Ruan Nortje’s ‘immeasurable’ impact

Bulls captain Ruan Nortje has received high praise from coach Jake White following his return to the game after a hamstring injury and the team securing of a Challenge Cup last 16 spot when their backs were against the wall in the Champions Cup.

The Bulls ended their four-game losing streak with an impressive 48–7 final-round win against Stade Français on the weekend.

It wasn’t enough to carry them further in the competition thanks to their previous defeats. Still, it does mean Jake White’s charges will have a chance at silverware in the European Professional Club Rugby Competition.

Nortje the most developed player under White

White said Nortje had been “unbelievable” in his first game back after two months of rehabilitation and rest with his family.

“He’s the player that’s developed the most in the time that I’ve been here,” said White, the Bulls director of rugby since 2020.

“There were times when I was picking him as captain and guys were looking at me like I was crazy: ‘Why did you make him captain, he’s never captained before?’ He came through without ever playing Craven Week. He didn’t even come through the junior ranks.’

“And all of a sudden you guys see his worth first-hand when he’s on the field. The difference between him being there and what we’ve done the last couple of weeks is immeasurable.”

White was alluding to their recent losing streak and how his second and third-string players have struggled against European competition.

Last week, the 26-year-old lock said he was excited to be back after injury and wanted to make a difference in the maul, which he did.

Ruan Nortje brings Springbok experience back to Bulls

White added that playing for the Springboks in the Rugby Championship last year gave Nortje great experience and helped him improve as a player.

“He’s shown that by playing international rugby he can get better and better.

“I’m over the moon that he hasn’t re-injured himself and the stuff he’s learned in international rugby is definitely rubbing off on the other players.

White said he “enjoyed” Nortje’s captaincy during the Stade match. The coach said his decision to kick for posts rather than go for a line-out when they were ahead – though still needed to win by 22 points to qualify for the Challenge Cup – was a wise one