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Bulls legend Morne Steyn breaks silence on new job at the Lions
Bulls legend Morne Steyn has broken silence on his surprise switch to the rival Lions ahead of the new 2023/24 URC season. The darling of Loftus Versfeld, who was capped 68 times for the Springboks and amassed over 700 Test points, spent more than 14 years at the Bulls franchise.
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However, after playing his last match in June before retirement, he has exited Pretoria and crossed the Jukskei river to join their Johannesburg franchise.
Speaking to media about his new kicking consultant role, Steyn explained that he would have loved to stay with the Bulls, but it ultimately wasn’t an option. “I spoke to the Bulls and was supposed to start in August with the juniors, because the senior team do not want me as a kicking consultant or coach.
“And behind the scenes, I heard Jake (White, Bulls director of rugby) didn’t want me there anymore. He had other plans. The Bulls haven’t had a kicking coach since Vlok Cillier left, so it is a new thing.
“Maybe in the next year or two, Jake will look at it, but at the moment I don’t think he wants a kicking consultant or coach there. (Bulls assistant coach) Chris Rossouw is at Loftus, so he is doing a lot of the kicking game and is helping some of the guys.”
Steyn emphasised there was no bad blood between him and the Bulls and reiterated that a future consultant opportunity might open up. Two weeks into his two-year contract at the Lions, he continued: “With me being a consultant, I come in three times a week during pre-season and then two times a week during the regular season.
“It is all about getting the guys on the training field, putting the work in every day and helping them with new drills and things they are not used to. Guys like (Lions assistant coaches) Jacques Fourie and Ricardo Laubscher will cover the coaching aspect and I will sit in with them and give my opinions.
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“It’s not like I’m just going to teach them to kick and leave, I will play a part in the whole kicking game. I signed a two-year deal so as the years go, I will see how my role will change.”
Steyn will attend match days in Johannesburg but will not tour with the Lions who open their new URC campaign at home to the Stormers on October 21.
Comments on RugbyPass
Who listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
40 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
40 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
38 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
1 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
40 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
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