Bok call-ups give Jake a "juggling act" to sort out

Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White expressed his joy at the news that once-forgotten tighthead prop Wilco Louw has been called up to the Springboks for their November tour.

Louw, who has produced consistent performances since returning from Harlequins to join the Bulls, and has helped make the Bulls scrum an attacking weapon, was called up after his Bulls teammate Jan-Hendrik Wessels withdrew from the squad with an ankle injury. Hooker Johan Grobbelaar was also called-up to the side.

That gives the Bulls nine current Springboks in the touring side, a far cry from where they were when White arrived some four years ago at Loftus Versfeld.

“I’m very happy. You’ve heard me say for years that it is great when local players get picked, and we now have 11 Springboks - with Jan-Hendrik and two new guys. When I started here we had Trevor (Nyakane) and Duane (Vermeulen) - so to now have 11 Springboks in the mix now is fantastic.

“It comes with a different management skill, take the Lions, who have no Springboks, and that means the next two months is an easier transition because you are not losing players in and out of your team.

“We were fortunate to have that for a couple of seasons, but it is a very difficult juggling act in terms of cohesion and leave, upskilling other players while senior players are away. And you lose a lot of voice, when those senior players aren’t here. When they are here they talk a lot, add value, they leave - the immeasurables of what they do is what you lose.

“So it is a very unique time for us as a club, because it is not something we have had to manage in the past four seasons.”

Louw has 14 caps and the opportunity to add to his last appearance in 2021.

“Every young boy wants to be a Springbok. That is the pinnacle, to play for your country and for the Springboks. He last played in 2021 and I saw when I told him he was very very happy. From a personal point of view, he has been away for three weeks and was planning to go home anyway. They now assemble on Sunday and he will be away for four weeks. He has a young child so it is tough for a family.”

White explained that the loss of the Boks created a different juggling act for the team, in trying to win without their stars.

“It’s not just not having them on the field, it is about the build-up, the pre-game talk, it is about things that lead up to situations, and they can sense it through experience. We will be better for it. I don’t want to make you think I’m sounding down. It is just a different scenario for us as a group. It is wonderful that we have so many players joining the Boks, and the Bulls pride themselves on having so many Boks. But with that comes a different scenario to manage.

“There are young captains coming through and young players who are having to step up and experience those situations. It’s one of those things that you can’t practise or simulate because what are the chances of a team getting two red cards in two consecutive weekends and both of them rescinded?

“Or missing a kick in the last minute of a Currie Cup semifinal? That’s got nothing to do with whether the players are good enough, or the team is unhappy or happy. That comes with circumstance and what that does is creates memories and lessons that make you so much stronger.”

The Bulls face Benetton on Friday night in Treviso, after which they return home for a month before resuming action in the URC again.