SPOTLIGHT: Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White described Ruan Nortje’s impact on the field as “immeasurable” after his side recorded a 48-7 victory over Stade Francais in the final pool round of the Champions Cup.
That big victory secured a Challenge Cup Round of 16 spot for the Pretoria side after they lost their previous three games in the tournament.
Young gun Cameron Hanekom received most of the plaudits after the game, but White had a few words to say about co-captain Nortje, who made his return to the playing field after a two-month injury lay-off.
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“He [Nortje] is growing the most and he a player that has developed the most in the time that I’ve been here,” said White.
“At times when I was picking him as captain, I remember sitting at this table and guys would be looking at me like I was crazy.
“He has come through and he hasn’t played Craven Week, he didn’t even come through the junior ranks.
“All of a sudden when you guys see first-hand his worth on the field, the difference between him being there and what we’ve done over the last couple of weeks is immeasurable.
“I didn’t want him to play 80 minutes the first game, so I had to box a bit clever there.”
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White believes that Nortje’s time with the Boks has taken him to a new level.
“He has shown that by playing international rugby, he can get better and better. That’s all you want,” White added.
“You want players in the team to go and play internationally and then come back and bring that worth back to the club.
“I am over the moon that he hasn’t re-injured himself. I’m over the moon that the stuff that he has learnt at international rugby is definitely rubbing off on the other players.”
@rugby365com
