Bulls pick powerful squad, but hopes depend on filling gaps left by Nortje, Louw and Arendse

The Vodacom Bulls named a powerful squad for their upcoming Vodacom United Rugby Championship season, but the real question surrounding their campaign will be how well they can overcome some massive losses in their pack.

While one player doesn’t make a squad, the loss of Springbok powerhouse Wilco Louw to the Stormers and captain Ruan Nortje to Japan has been massive in the off-season, even though the Bulls have acquired several players for their squad in the off-season.

The 55-man squad also doesn’t include Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who has also committed to Japan for the season and won’t be seen in a light blue jersey again.

There were other departures as well, which may have gone unnoticed. Jan Serfontein retired, while David Kriel moved to La Rochelle. Jannes Kirsten moved to Mont-de-Marsan, while Esethu Mnebelele - the SA under-20 hooker moved to the Sharks.

But those are the departures, and the Bulls have bought a number of players to bolster their squad as they look to finally win the URC after four appearances in the Grand Final in five seasons.

Those 15 Springboks include a core of players currently in the national side, while several experienced players will drive the side forward in their absence.

On the acquisitions, the Bulls have added some firepower out wide - most notably SA under-20 flyer Luan Gillomee, who will only join them in December when his contract ends with the Sharks, Munster’s Thaakir Abrahams, Pumas midfielder Sango Xamlashe, Griquas winger Dylan Maart and former Springbok flyhalf Curwin Bosch. Sharks speedster Hakeem Kunene has already had a stint in the Currie Cup for the Bulls and looks forward to more game time in the URC.

Up front, Hanro Liebenberg returns to Loftus after a successful stint for Leicester Tigers and will be a key player for the Bulls this season, while former SA under-20 prop Mawande Mdanda is also a new acquisition.

But with all that in mind, the big question will be whether Mdanda, or fellow tightheads Francois Klopper, Mornay Smith, Khuta Mchunu or the young Jean Erasmus can fill the massive boots left by Louw, arguably the best tighthead in World Rugby currently.

Nortje’s leadership will be filled by Marcell Coetzee and Liebenberg, but JF van Heerden, the former SA under-20 captain, will need to take control of the five jersey alongside the likes of Reinhardt Ludwig and Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, the latter who has been injury-plagued since joining the Bulls.

NATURAL SUCCESSOR

Abrahams is seen as the natural successor to Arendse, but Stravino Jacobs could shift to 11 for the season, while the Bulls have several options there, including the impressive junior Riyaad Bam in the position.

A quick scan across the forward pack still sees Springboks Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Akker van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw, Nizaam Carr, Cameron Hanekom and Cobus Wiese on the roster.

At the back, Embrose Papier, Handre Pollard, Canan Moodie and test centurion Willie le Roux’s names stand out.

Van der Merwe is hopefully over his scare of a neck injury that kept him out for several months, while the Bulls also have some interesting decisions to make in terms of selection. In almost every Bok position, their success is likely to depend on how the replacements can fill the void while the Boks are gone.

And in the midfield, with Kriel gone and Xamlashe joining Harold Vorster as the only 12s in the squad, we can expect Pollard to fill in the midfield role during the season as well.

There are several players worth watching this season, including Mdanda, Jaco Grobbelaar, JJ Theron, Bam and others, while Sebastian de Klerk was so close to a Bok call-up when he was injured, and will be keen on making an impression in a World Cup year.

Either way, it's a very good squad on paper. But how they fill those gaps left by Arendse, Louw and Nortje will tell a massive story of how far they will go this season.

VODACOM BULLS 2026/2027 (55)

FORWARDS (31)

1. Alulutho Tshakweni, Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Sti Sithole, Dylan Smith

2. Johan Grobbelaar, Akker van der Merwe, Juann Else, Janco Uys

3. Francois Klopper, Mornay Smith, Khuta Mchunu, Jean Erasmus, Mawande Mdanda

4. Ruan Vermaak, Cobus Wiese, Jaco Grobbelaar

5. JF van Heerden, Reinhardt Ludwig, Heinrich Theron, Nicolaas Jansen van Rensburg

6. Marco van Staden, Marcell Coetzee, Nama Xaba

7. Nizaam Carr, Elrigh Louw, Hanro Liebenberg

8. Cameron Hanekom, Mpilo Gumede, JJ Theron, Jeandré Rudolph

BACKS (24)

9. Embrose Papier, Paul de Wet, Zak Burger, Neil le Roux, Keagan Johannes