Bulls Rugby 2020 / 2021 BACK TO THE FUTURE!

[Chilli]

So Jake has bought a whack of forwards. Some Golden Oldies and some younger players. He has also bought Gio Aplon, who is a few years younger than OomSB.

Quite a few backline players have left, Mnaie Libbok springs to mind. That leaves the Bulls short of a 10, with only MoerNaai[ who is a few years older than OomSB, but not as old as Fangle].

I see that Burger Odendaal is leaving to the Lions.
https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/supe ... y-20200713

And now Jaco Visagie is also leaving
https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/supe ... s-20200715

It will be interesting to see who he replaces them with.

Loads of money being spent with some good buys especially up front, but pretty thin in the backline.

[Sandstorm]

Change it to 2021 mate, can't see any Rugby happening in SA this year.

[Chilli]

Change it to 2021 mate, can't see any Rugby happening in SA this year.

I'l change it in December.

[handyman]

Can't understand why they got rid of Burger Odendaal. Very good player.

I'm not a fan of Libbok, but plenty of people say he's got loads of potential.

[bok_viking]

At the moment it is difficult to see What Jake's team will look like, 14 forwards and a pensioner flyhalf is my guess, because at this rate only Morne is left of the backline
I liked that the forwards he brought in, but I hate to see so many back players leaving without any seemingly coming in apart from from 1 or 2 old players. I do not think there are that many backline players in the age group team that are ready or the required quality for the step up, The initial recruiting looked good as it was strengthening areas the Bulls were weak in this season, but seem to have gone backwards with just about the whole existing backline, (run on and bench) out with barely anyone to replace them.

I was reading that Jake did not spend as much money as many people believe on the players that came in, they basically made use of all the uncertainty around the Virus to get most of these players on good deals back from Europe, supposedly there is a salary cap in SA rugby at the moment.

But i really hope there is some plan in place for recruiting decent backs, or next year is going to be hard to watch.

[average joe]

He wont need any decent backs after Moernaai. Classic Jakeball blueprint, milk the penalties up front and kick for post.

[bok_viking]

Yup, that seems to be what is in the Bulls future. that's why i said, hard to watch.
The ball will take so long to get from the Scrum, through Van Zyl, then Morne... the opposition will fall asleep. Brilliant tactics,

[average joe]

If it means you're winning again it wont matter how boring it is.

[handyman]

Agree with Joe, if he can make them win, every poephol in Pretoria will smile. As a WP/Stormer fan, I'm not fond of the Bulls, but if they can improve then surely that's a plus for SA Rugby.

[Chilli]

https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/supe ... e-20200717

I wonder who will replace all the backline players?

[bok_viking]

The current recruitment policy is very confusing. The latest article i read was that he said he definitely need to get another fly half but that he will only do that next year. Also saying the reason is because there are players that still have contracts until the end of the year, so if he gets a fly half now, then he might not be able to get the one he really wants when their contracts run out at the end of the year. He also mentioned that Morne might not be there either next year as he might be retiring.
So maybe he is waiting until the end of the year before getting backline players? It sounds like he is vacuuming up players that are at the end of their contracts.
Anyway, as it stands now its a bit worrying that he let so many decent players go, they might not be spectacular players, but they were a decent backline. If rugby starts this year I guess the Bulls will be playing with a full team of forwards lol.

[Chilli]

The current recruitment policy is very confusing. The latest article i read was that he said he definitely need to get another fly half but that he will only do that next year. Also saying the reason is because there are players that still have contracts until the end of the year, so if he gets a fly half now, then he might not be able to get the one he really wants when their contracts run out at the end of the year. He also mentioned that Morne might not be there either next year as he might be retiring.
So maybe he is waiting until the end of the year before getting backline players? It sounds like he is vacuuming up players that are at the end of their contracts.
Anyway, as it stands now its a bit worrying that he let so many decent players go, they might not be spectacular players, but they were a decent backline. If rugby starts this year I guess the Bulls will be playing with a full team of forwards lol.

I doubt that we will see any rugby played in SA this year, but IF it does happen then the Bulls are going to be caught short at the back. Let's be fair , Moernaai hasn't exactly set the world alight so far. ..............................but then the Bulls have been pretty average.

[bok_viking]

Moernaai and van Snail is the worst half back combination you can have. It is extremely frustrating to watch them together. They have botched so many decent scoring opportunities this year. The speed the ball goes through their hands can be measured with a calender
With the current squad if there is any rugby this year, the Bulls will be screwed. They will have to play an extreme version of Jake-ball to stand any chance.

[handyman]

Moernaai and van Snail is the worst half back combination you can have. It is extremely frustrating to watch them together. They have botched so many decent scoring opportunities this year. The speed the ball goes through their hands can be measured with a calender
With the current squad if there is any rugby this year, the Bulls will be screwed. They will have to play an extreme version of Jake-ball to stand any chance.

Steyn will only be effective with a fast scrummie and most certainly Van Zyl is not.

I wish someone can explain to me why Van Zyl is highly regarded. It defies belief.

[bok_viking]

Moernaai and van Snail is the worst half back combination you can have. It is extremely frustrating to watch them together. They have botched so many decent scoring opportunities this year. The speed the ball goes through their hands can be measured with a calender
With the current squad if there is any rugby this year, the Bulls will be screwed. They will have to play an extreme version of Jake-ball to stand any chance.

Steyn will only be effective with a fast scrummie and most certainly Van Zyl is not.

I wish someone can explain to me why Van Zyl is highly regarded. It defies belief.

Van Zyl had one good season and has coasted on that season ever since. His distribution just seems so much slower now. Whether it is because of how team defences have changed over the the years or just him getting a lot slower I don't know. But he is not close to the quality of a scrumhalf that I would expect at this level anymore. Somehow the coaches still see something in him. Maybe he looks fantastic in training

[assfly]

I miss rugby so much I would pay good money to see Moernaai and van Snail play .

[Chilli]

I miss rugby so much I would pay good money to see Moernaai and van Snail play for the Sharks .

Fixed.

[assfly]

Oi! Not that much

[Chilli]

https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/supe ... l-20200807

Simple math explains why the Bulls have a bigger task gelling as a team again when rugby restarts, compared to their counterparts.

Currently, Jake White, the franchise's director of rugby, has 36 senior squad players on his books.


He brought in 13 new recruits and off-loaded no less than 18.

Also take into account that the players only started non-contact training again two weeks ago and you have a group of men who, despite having to instil a new sense of communal pride into the franchise, are quite unfamiliar to each other.


"We talk about this quite a lot," said White.

"For example, there won't be any crowds (when we start playing again). That's another thing you have to think about. When you run out at an empty Loftus it's just as good as running out at Newlands for an away game. We have exactly chatted about that.

"How quickly are we going to become a team? It's an interesting thing."

It's the type of situation where an accomplished captain can work wonders in helping team cohesion being achieved more easily.

But even that's something that needs careful consideration, particularly if you're going to pick a proven leader like Duane Vermeulen.

"You've got a guy like him who was here last year. Then he went to the World Cup and then departed directly for Japan. He's come back now and doesn't even know half these players, even if they were at the Bulls," said White.

"A lot of age-group players have now graduated into the senior ranks. They and Duane have never even trained together. Is there a formula?"

Enter Henning Gericke, a longtime confidante of White's and the Springboks' psychologist during the 2007 World Cup-winning campaign, who has been roped in as a consultant.

"I'm sure there are things that we can do and get busy with in this regard. That's why Henning is helping us and talking with us about those things," said White.

One of the initiatives that he has come up with is a weekly ritual where players pull the name of a teammate out of a hat.

That is the teammate you'll need to take out for a bonding session over coffee.

"A senior player like (winger) Cornal Hendricks this week picked our age-group hooker Joe van Zyl. You then sit over a cup and find out what's that man's story. Where did he go to school? What makes him tick? Otherwise you're going to have the same guys who sit with each other all the time," said White.

"It's really important because we don't have the luxury of other teams. The Sharks know who they are, the Stormers have played together for a long time and even the Lions, despite some of their signings, have been together a while now. We're the one team perhaps that has cohesion challenges."

Yet, the prospect of a 14-week domestic programme, which will start in mid-September after SA Rugby on Thursday received government approval for a return to play, has White confident that extended, uninterrupted action will instil a team culture expediently.

"If we go with a system of six games against the Super Rugby teams and then eight against the Currie Cup sides, that's 14 weeks. I'm pretty sure in that time we'll get the guys cohesive," he said.

"It's not that I want to lose the first or second game, but we gotta win the last game. That's all we're aiming for, to make sure that if there's a final, we're playing in it."

[OomStruisbaai]

Sharks will put 50 on against Jake Whites Bulle

[Chilli]

Sharks will put 50 on against Jake Whites Bulle

And then be poes klapped by the WP.

[OomStruisbaai]

Sharks will put 50 on against Jake Whites Bulle

And then be poes klapped by the WP.

Nope, Bulls will kill the Stormers, maybe Cheetahs will do this to the Bulle

[Chilli]

JOHANNESBURG - Seasoned Springbok loose-forward Duane Vermeulen will captain the Bulls later this year.

The experienced No 8, who played such a pivotal part in the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup triumph in Japan last year, follows in the footsteps of the likes of Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and Adriaan Strauss, who all led the Pretoria-based union in their prime.


Vermeulen basically takes over from centre Burger Odendaal, who was captain of the side earlier this year before Covid-19 hit the world and brought a sudden halt to rugby and sport across the globe. Odendaal has subsequently left the Bulls and joined the Lions in Joburg.

The 34-year-old Vermeulen turned out for the Bulls last season after joining from Toulon in France. He previously also played for the Stormers and Cheetahs and started his career with the Pumas. Most recently he featured for the Kubota Spears in Japan, but returned to South Africa when the coronavirus struck the world.

Vermeulen has played 54 Tests for South Africa and won over new director of rugby at the Bulls, Jake White.

Vermeulen’s first assignment as Bulls leader will possibly be in this country’s new-look Currie Cup-style competition which is set to get underway in the middle of next month. South African rugby bosses are hoping to soon stage an eight-team competition – the format of which is still to be determined – in what is called a “bio-bubble” in one venue, until early December.

The Bulls will be joined in this competition by their three local Super Rugby competitors, the Lions, Sharks and Stormers; the two Pro 14 sides, the Kings and Cheetahs; as well as new franchises, Griquas and the Pumas.

@jacq_west

Captain Thor!

[Amethyst]

I predict the Bulls to do very well at the start of Jake's tenure. This has happened to all teams where Jake had been in charge. Performances tend to drop off if he stays too long though. He seems to be a very good "quick-fix" coach.

[Green light echo]

The current recruitment policy is very confusing. The latest article i read was that he said he definitely need to get another fly half but that he will only do that next year. Also saying the reason is because there are players that still have contracts until the end of the year, so if he gets a fly half now, then he might not be able to get the one he really wants when their contracts run out at the end of the year. He also mentioned that Morne might not be there either next year as he might be retiring.
So maybe he is waiting until the end of the year before getting backline players? It sounds like he is vacuuming up players that are at the end of their contracts.
Anyway, as it stands now its a bit worrying that he let so many decent players go, they might not be spectacular players, but they were a decent backline. If rugby starts this year I guess the Bulls will be playing with a full team of forwards lol.

I doubt that we will see any rugby played in SA this year, but IF it does happen then the Bulls are going to be caught short at the back. Let's be fair , Moernaai hasn't exactly set the world alight so far. ..............................but then the Bulls have been pretty average.

I know you Saffas live in a deluded bubble but you are seriously kidding yourselves that you will have your brain dead bosh only rugby back on by next year. Your only hope of rugby in the next two years is a vaccine. And even then your pitiful third world nation wouldn't be able to afford it.

Enjoy God's country boets.

You deserve it

[Amethyst]

The current recruitment policy is very confusing. The latest article i read was that he said he definitely need to get another fly half but that he will only do that next year. Also saying the reason is because there are players that still have contracts until the end of the year, so if he gets a fly half now, then he might not be able to get the one he really wants when their contracts run out at the end of the year. He also mentioned that Morne might not be there either next year as he might be retiring.
So maybe he is waiting until the end of the year before getting backline players? It sounds like he is vacuuming up players that are at the end of their contracts.
Anyway, as it stands now its a bit worrying that he let so many decent players go, they might not be spectacular players, but they were a decent backline. If rugby starts this year I guess the Bulls will be playing with a full team of forwards lol.

I doubt that we will see any rugby played in SA this year, but IF it does happen then the Bulls are going to be caught short at the back. Let's be fair , Moernaai hasn't exactly set the world alight so far. ..............................but then the Bulls have been pretty average.

I know you Saffas live in a deluded bubble but you are seriously kidding yourselves that you will have your brain dead bosh only rugby back on by next year. Your only hope of rugby in the next two years is a vaccine. And even then your pitiful third world nation wouldn't be able to afford it.

Enjoy God's country boets.

You deserve it

How does it feel having the third world as World Champs? Would bogan Aussie still have a rugby union in 2021?

[‘tsek]

The current recruitment policy is very confusing. The latest article i read was that he said he definitely need to get another fly half but that he will only do that next year. Also saying the reason is because there are players that still have contracts until the end of the year, so if he gets a fly half now, then he might not be able to get the one he really wants when their contracts run out at the end of the year. He also mentioned that Morne might not be there either next year as he might be retiring.
So maybe he is waiting until the end of the year before getting backline players? It sounds like he is vacuuming up players that are at the end of their contracts.
Anyway, as it stands now its a bit worrying that he let so many decent players go, they might not be spectacular players, but they were a decent backline. If rugby starts this year I guess the Bulls will be playing with a full team of forwards lol.

I doubt that we will see any rugby played in SA this year, but IF it does happen then the Bulls are going to be caught short at the back. Let's be fair , Moernaai hasn't exactly set the world alight so far. ..............................but then the Bulls have been pretty average.

I know you Saffas live in a deluded bubble but you are seriously kidding yourselves that you will have your brain dead bosh only rugby back on by next year. Your only hope of rugby in the next two years is a vaccine. And even then your pitiful third world nation wouldn't be able to afford it.

Enjoy God's country boets.

You deserve it

Thread has been GLE'd. Now where have we seen this kind of Saffer baiting before? Can't quite pin it down. Quite like him, think he will fit in as a quasi Bulls supporter, you know, the call-it-like-it is, vati kakki strong Alpha male type. Probably does not microwave meat.

[Amethyst]

I doubt that we will see any rugby played in SA this year, but IF it does happen then the Bulls are going to be caught short at the back. Let's be fair , Moernaai hasn't exactly set the world alight so far. ..............................but then the Bulls have been pretty average.

I know you Saffas live in a deluded bubble but you are seriously kidding yourselves that you will have your brain dead bosh only rugby back on by next year. Your only hope of rugby in the next two years is a vaccine. And even then your pitiful third world nation wouldn't be able to afford it.

Enjoy God's country boets.

You deserve it

Thread has been GLE'd. Now where have we seen this kind of Saffer baiting before? Can't quite pin it down. Quite like him, think he will fit in as a quasi Bulls supporter, you know, the call-it-like-it is, vati kakki strong Alpha male type. Probably does not microwave meat.

He's an Aussie first spotted looking to troll the NZ'ers on a NZ thread. Trolling SA threads now. I also read that he boasted about being perma banned on the other forum. So bogan by nature.

[OomStruisbaai]

The Not PR lot has been trolled.

[average joe]

I doubt he's a fair dinkum ozzie with that name. Ask him if he's an 18 year old ozzie girl.

[Green light echo]

I know you Saffas live in a deluded bubble but you are seriously kidding yourselves that you will have your brain dead bosh only rugby back on by next year. Your only hope of rugby in the next two years is a vaccine. And even then your pitiful third world nation wouldn't be able to afford it.

Enjoy God's country boets.

You deserve it

Thread has been GLE'd. Now where have we seen this kind of Saffer baiting before? Can't quite pin it down. Quite like him, think he will fit in as a quasi Bulls supporter, you know, the call-it-like-it is, vati kakki strong Alpha male type. Probably does not microwave meat.

He's an Aussie first spotted looking to troll the NZ'ers on a NZ thread. Trolling SA threads now. I also read that he boasted about being perma banned on the other forum. So bogan by nature.

Yes of course. Just another Aussie Bogan. Like some people think of the Saffas. Just another member of the SS or BOSS.
But hey if that makes you continue to feel superior then go for it. And we all know how important a sense of superiority is to the juvenile, fragile, insecure South African ego.

Don't we now Boets

[‘tsek]

I doubt he's a fair dinkum ozzie with that name. Ask him if he's an 18 year old ozzie girl.

Ek gaan hom f*kk*l vra.

Back to Bulls "news". Any idea of who Heinz Schenk is? His stories on News24 regarding the Bulls makes Engineering Weekly advertorials seem positively Pulitzer like in terms of objectivity. Some recent headlines:

"Bonding over coffee: The new Bulls' efforts..."
"Arno Botha: Bulls' prodigal son or not, I'm here to make a difference..."
and my personal favourite
"Pick and mix: Jake White's Bulls loose trio options are vast and enviable"

Another Jake signing?

[Chilli]

https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/supe ... tLlnLCImzs

So Jake buys ANOTHER big forward.

Jake. You need to sign a few decent young backs mate .

[‘tsek]

Remember him as a schoolboy not that long ago. He looks like the real deal.

[Chilli]

And Jake signs Jason Jenkins ANOTHER huge forward.

https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/supe ... s-20200905

[Green light echo]

So any Rugby been played yet in SA boets? Or still stuck behind the times as per usual

[handyman]

So any Rugby been played yet in SA boets? Or still stuck behind the times as per usual

We keep busy by polishing Bill

[Green light echo]

So any Rugby been played yet in SA boets? Or still stuck behind the times as per usual

We keep busy by polishing Bill

Bill is not the only thing you guys like to polish.......

[handyman]

So any Rugby been played yet in SA boets? Or still stuck behind the times as per usual

We keep busy by polishing Bill

Bill is not the only thing you guys like to polish.......

Quite correct, we also like to polish The Rugby Championship trophy.

[Green light echo]

We keep busy by polishing Bill

Bill is not the only thing you guys like to polish.......

Quite correct, we also like to polish The Rugby Championship trophy.

Well keep polishing, the way you guys are going you won't be competing for silverware anywhere anytime in the near future. Enjoy the memories. It's all you have got