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Fissler Confidential: Bears' fight to keep LRZ, England star on the move
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Jake White’s Bulls look set to sign one of South Africa’s most talked-about prop prospects in recent times, with Rapport suggesting the big loosehead Jan-Hendrik Wessels will play for the Super Rugby franchise from next season on.
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Jan-Hendrik Wessels is currently enjoying a sojourn with ASM Clermont Auvergne in France but is expected to sign for the Blue Bulls back in his native South Africa. The 6’3, 120kg just turned 19 and but big things are expected of him, with many tagging him as future Springbok.
A product of Grey College, his highlight reels went viral on Youtube in 2019, where his massive carries and scrummaging made him a standout on in the SA schoolboy circuit. As a result he was scouted by Clermont and moved to France.
Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux included the prop in a 45-strong SA Rugby academy squad announced back in March. While he played both lock and loosehead at schools level, his future is seen to be solely in the frontrow.
If the move does go ahead it will be White’s second prop addition inside a week. Last week the Bulls confirmed that they are bringing back Springbok prop, Marcel van der Merwe, after a stint with French Top 14 club Toulon. The powerful yet mobile front rower will join the Vodacom Bulls as of July 2020, also an alumnus of the famous Grey College.
White wants to take the Pretoria-based franchise from also-rans to genuine contenders and has been very busy on the recruitment front. He believes loneliness in Europe and the carrot of playing against the British and Irish Lions next year will be enough to lure players back to SA and the Bulls.
“That gives us an opportunity to negotiate with those players before they resign to stay overseas.
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“I am hard at work and I am looking to see if some players want to come back.
“Let us not forget that we have the British and Irish Lions tour next year and a lot of players would like to be part of that – even if it is only [playing] for the Bulls against the British and Irish Lions.”
Video Credit: Highlights care of NexGenRugga.com
