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The Bulls pair getting Boks audition against Leinster

Credit: Vodacom Bulls

The chefs have been sorted from the cooks in the 2023/24 Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and on Saturday the Vodacom Bulls host Leinster in a semi-final that plates a delectable appetiser to the upcoming Test series between South Africa and Ireland.

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Johan Grobbelaar and David Kriel are two Vodacom Bulls stars who, on the back of standout performances in the league this season, were shoo-ins to make their Springbok debuts against Wales at Twickenham next week.

Accelerating the Vodacom Bulls to victory over Benetton in last week’s BKT URC quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld pumped the brakes on Grobbelaar and Kriel’s dream of a Bok debut in London, but the duo can justify the sacrifice with a performance against Leinster that drives the Highveld heavyweights into the Grand Final.

Grobbelaar has been a model of consistency at hooker in nine starts for the Vodacom Bulls, including the quarter-final against Benetton.

The 26-year-old packs a punch as a ball-carrier and his set-piece work is of a very high standard – the Vodacom Bulls boast the league’s second-ranked lineout.

Fixture
United Rugby Championship
Bulls
25 - 20
Full-time
Leinster
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The hosts are this season’s most prolific try-scoring team, and Grobbelaar has equalled Springbok phenomenon Kurt-Lee Arendse’s tally of eight touchdowns, illustrating the power and efficiency of the Vodacom Bulls’ maul.

Grobbelaar earned a first Springbok call-up during the 2021 Rugby Championship, but has since had to bide his time for a Test debut behind a talented core of hookers including Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx.

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“I think every South African player dreams of playing for the Springboks,” he said.

“But my focus is to play well every weekend and if I can do that week in and week out, and if I deserve a chance, I will get one.”

Competing for the Vodacom Bulls’ No 2 jersey, against all-action veteran Akker van der Merwe and up-and-comer Jan-Hendrik Wessels, has kept Grobbelaar on his toes.

“The three of us are a good combination,” he said. “We are pushing and learning from each other. It makes for a good environment.”

Kriel has mirrored Grobbelaar’s consistency in the Vodacom Bulls backline. Deployed as a utility back after moving to Pretoria from Cape Town for the 2021-22 campaign, Kriel has this season specialised as a centre, exclusively playing in the No 12 or 13 jerseys and scoring 11 tries in 18 appearances.

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“I really enjoy centre – either 12 or 13,” Kriel said.

“I don’t mind either of the two centre jumpers, and it is my favourite position because of the involvement in attack and defence.

“Especially 12 is a more physical position, but at 13 I get a bit more freedom and get to make better reads, which I also feel is very good for the growth of my game.”

Both Grobbelaar and Kriel earned plaudits when they helped the Vodacom Bulls produce one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Vodacom URC by beating Leinster in Dublin in the 2021-22 semi-finals.

The dynamic duo has built on that memorable day, emerging as serious contenders for a place in Rassie Erasmus’ long-term plans to guide the Springboks towards a third successive World Cup title, and short-term objectives of beating Wales before hosting Ireland for two Tests in July.

While Grobbelaar and Kriel have given up the chance to join the Boks in London next week, they are relishing the spotlight that will be cast on Loftus Versfeld on Saturday against the world-class Leinster.

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J
JW 26 minutes ago
'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Well a) poor French results doesn’t seem to effect the situation much. In fact one of the reasons given for this selection policy is that the French don’t tune in for foreign rugby content on the other side of the world, at a time when theyre not having their vino. So who would know the results? And b) this is the crux of the matter, they are legally abided to play them as part of WRs tier 1 reciprocal tours programme. The only real choice for the SH team is to treat it the same, which is fine when teams are happy to do that, but the AB’s have a totally anthesis policy/mentality so would never use the games in the same way.


So alligned with b) the only real option is to complain to those in control. I suspect that’s why weve seen France reneging on the practice, and you can only be left to think that if they hadn’t reneged, WR would have done something more drastic about it. Which of course would mean not just telling them to bugger off when they want to tour, it’s no one playing them (from t1 at least) at all (assuming they have no interest in scheduling match’s outside the windows, like Ireland and NZ are doing).


Then of course that means no involvement of France in the Nations Championship. Which means they are automatically the last ranked team in 6N to qualify, so the actual worst team in 6N gets to compete in it, making a mockery of the promotion and relegation WR wanted to happen between T1 and T2 for qualifying purposes. Yup, b) is just something nobody wants to happen. Well done FFR and LNR for making the tour work instead (how well is yet to be seen).

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