While appearances for the Vodacom Bulls have been few and far between these days, halfback Keagan Johannes hasn’t been sitting still, and has quietly been training for a new utility back role to help get him more game time.
Johannes, who has speed and a slick pass, has bought into Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White’s mantra of being versatile and that versatility brings a better chance of making the national squad - so much so that he wants to be a hybrid halfback that can play both nine and ten.
With that in mind, he has been studying one of the Springbok legends, Ruan Pienaar and how he so easily shifted between the two for the Sharks, Ulster and the Boks.
Johannes believes Pienaar is the perfect prototype for the type of game he wants to play and if he perfects it, he can add more value (and versatility) to the Bulls team.
With Embrose Papier having a superb season at nine, Johannes has recognised he needs to up his game, and make some changes to get better.
“When I’ve been moving between nine and 10 I have been studying Ruan Pienaar’s clips, and he was still doing it until a few weeks ago,” he said this week.
“The guy was good wherever he played – someone I looked up to, and someone who has given me a lot of tips and studies that I can take into my game. Definitely Ruan Pienaar! I mean, the guy’s a legend.
“Embrose is playing very good rugby at the moment, and we are all happy for him. Obviously you would want much more game time, but like I’ve said before, the coaches have a plan and we believe in it and back everyone on the pitch.
“I have worked very hard on my box-kicks since my shift from flyhalf to scrumhalf. I am very confident with my kicking game, and worked very hard on it in the off-season. It depends on the game plan on the weekend, but whatever is thrown at me, I know I am prepared for it.”
TRICKY WEEK
The Vodacom United Rugby Championship final week - round 18 of the competition - is a tricky one for the Bulls. They sit in second and need a bonus point win in Durban to give them a chance of making it to the top after the season’s regular league play. But they know the Sharks will be tough opposition - as always - but now more so because of their win in the EPCR Challenge Cup last weekend.
That excites Johannes, as the bigger the game, the more players want to be involved and he is relishing a chance at getting a shot in Durban.
“We still have a chance to end on top of the log, and the guys are very excited.
“It’s at the business end of the tournament, so it’s best for us to focus on ourselves and what we need to do to proceed in this tournament. Conditions are always difficult down there, with the slippery ball. But the mornings here in Pretoria have helped us to prepare for that – the ball has been wet enough during training. We are a team that can adapt according to how the day turns out.
“We definitely have more confidence this season. We are in good form, we are peaking at the right times. So, the self-confidence is there, and we believe in the plan that we have – and we will see how it goes, and execute our plans well.”
And if they do, the rewards of a home playoff game for the rest of the competition could be theirs. One other result needs to go their way, but the Bulls first need to give themselves that chance in Durban if they want to achieve that goal.