The Vodacom Bulls may have announced two new signings that were widely expected, but they will lose one of their stalwarts to a French club in the off-season.
While the Pretoria union announced the arrival of Hollywoodbets Sharks winger Aphiwe Dyantyi and DHL Stormers flanker Nama Xaba, they lose the services of the URC Golden Boot winner Chris Smith for the coming season as he heads off to France.
Smith, who was crowned the most accurate kicker in the URC this past season, has signed with PROD2 club Oyannax as they look to claw their way back into the French Top 14.
Smith has often been underrated by the clubs he has played in, and was the SuperSport Challenge Player of the Year in 2018 at the Pumas before moving to the Bulls, where he guided them to the Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup titles in 2020 during Covid and again the Currie Cup in 2021.
In all he had 63 appearances for the Bulls and another 24 for the Blue Bulls and will be missed.
The Bulls do have cover at flyhalf, having signed Boeta Chamberlain from the Sharks and also have former Scottish international Jaco van der Walt in their ranks to back up first-choice Johan Goosen.
The signings of Xaba and Dyantyi were widely expected and have already been bid farewell by their previous teams.
In the case of Dyantyi, coach Jake White will be hoping for a better time than he had when signing S’bu Nkosi, the other top wing who made his Springbok debut in 2018.
Dyantyi missed the 2019 World Cup after being banned for an anabolic steroid positive test and returned last season to play for the Sharks without much fanfare. He has since struggled to recapture the form that made him a Springbok.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Aphiwe Dyantyi is heading to Pretoria ✍️ pic.twitter.com/xJ83atyIQS
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'SECOND OPPORTUNITY'
Nkosi and later Wandisile Simelane are two examples of signings that White made that have not worked out, with Nkosi still in the rugby wilderness and Simelane now with the Stormers.
“This feels like a second opportunity,” Dyantyi said in a team press release.
“It will be good to be in an environment like the one the Bulls have, almost very familiar considering that I was down the highway during the start of my career.”
“I spent over 10 years in Gauteng, so it is familiar territory and this move feels like coming home. I am closer to family and friends, a support structure that has been so important for me over the years.
“I hope to enjoy my time with the Loftus family and am thankful for the opportunity Jake (White) and Edgar (Rathbone) have given me.”.
Xaba has struggled with injuries and the emergence of players such as Hacjivah Dayimani and stalwarts like Deon Fourie have kept him out of regular appearances for the Stormers.
But he comes into a Bulls environment with more than enough competition among the loose forwards and will have his work cut out for him.
“This is a privilege for me to come join the most successful union in South Africa,” his press release read.
“I am looking forward to a different challenge away from my comfort zone. There are a lot of quality players at the Bulls and I want to play alongside them. I also have a wonderful opportunity to be taught by seasoned coaches, I am looking forward to learning from them.”
“I cannot wait to slot into the brand of rugby this club plays and I have hopes of doing my bit to help add more silverware to the Loftus trophy cabinet.”
The Bulls have also acquired the services of utility forward Cobus Wiese from Sale Sharks, Chamberlain from the Sharks.