Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White has been grappling with the question of when to return his star flyhalf Johan Goosen to the field - not only to bolster his side’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign, but also to get the best out of a player who returns from a long injury break.
Goosen has been chomping at the bit to get back in action and has looked exceptionally sharp in training. But as in the past, his enthusiasm has sometimes backfired against him as he returns too early, suffers a long-term injury and then sits around frustrated for months while the rugby he loves plays out around him.
This time the Bulls have purposely kept him back for a few months extra, taking the time in the off-season to get his knee injury properly rehabilitated but while the team opened their account with a 31-15 win over the Emirates Lions last weekend, Goosen was still “a week or two away.”
Now the only question is when to get Goosen back on the field. One thing is for sure, he is highly rated by Bulls coach Jake White and there has been a lot of thought on how to get him back so that the Bulls and Goosen get the most reward from his return.
“I’ve coached lots and lots of players - he is a phenomenal player. I’ve coached Schalk Burger, and I thought he was one of the best players I’ve coached. I’ve coached George Smith - he was exceptional,” White sung the flyhalf’s praises.
“Our defence is good because he runs against us in the opposition team in training and we don’t know what he is going to do. If we can defend him and people around him in our training sessions, then we probably will have a good outing.
“As soon as he is ready to go, the thing I want people to understand is - I had a discussion with him and I want him to get back into the Springbok set-up. I think he has a desire to play test rugby and a desire to maybe go to the World Cup next year.
“I told him we don’t have to rush it. You don’t have to be on the field right now, you’ve just got to trust me, we just have to find the right time and the right combinations for him. I also want him to mentally understand - he is happy, I am happy, the medical staff are happy and then we can go for it.”
White has no doubt that Goosen will make an immediate impact when he returns to the field and is also excited to see what he can bring. But when to bring him back is the question now.
“What I’m expecting - you saw last year what he did in a small space of time with new guys around him. He has got it - he is a phenomenal rugby player. I’m hoping, and that is the catch - I need him to get on the field when other guys are rusty as well.
“I don’t want him to get on the field in week six or seven, when other guys have game time under their belts and he is probably a little bit shy of time on the field. It is a balancing act for us to see when we want him on the field and get the timing right.”
White said the prospect of a round four game against Glasgow Warriors on a 4G pitch - the same type of pitch that contributed to the knee injury suffered by Goosen last year - made him think he should return sooner. The psychology of playing on a pitch like that after a long injury is a concern, but not one the player can’t overcome.
“To be fair, sooner rather than later, because of that factor. I don’t want him to come in in week five or six, when everyone is battle ready. The other thing is, in week four we play on a 4G pitch and I don’t know if we want to put him on a 4G pitch against Glasgow. I’m saying again, that is where he got injured, there is a lot of talk about 4G pitches.
“I either have to wait until post-Glasgow to see where he is, or I have to decided earlier to see if he has got some game time, so he isn’t getting bashed in week six or seven.”
Either way, Bulls fans will likely see Goosen in action sooner rather than later and the Bulls are hoping his return spearheads their assault on the title, and gives the Springboks another flyhalf option at the same time.