The Vodacom Bulls delivered a statement 38-26 victory over archrivals the DHL Stormers in a hard-hitting pre-season derby at Faure Street Stadium in Paarl on Friday, though the performance was immediately shadowed by a growing backline injury crisis ahead of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign.
Fielding a potent line-up featuring Springbok players Willie le Roux, Marcell Coetzee and Nizaam Carr alongside the returning Hanro Liebenberg, the Pretoria outfit asserted control in Paarl to seal crucial momentum and early bragging rights. Coach Johan Ackermann expressed broad satisfaction with the team’s overall output and conditioning, noting that the fixture served its purpose in refining tactical structures and match sharpness.
However, the clinical performance on the field has been tempered by a nervous wait in the medical room, with two high-profile backs facing a race against time to feature in the team’s VURC opener against Zebre on September 26.
New flyhalf recruit Curwin Bosch was a late withdrawal from Friday’s clash after picking up a calf problem in training.
“Curwin was scheduled to play, but he had strapping on his calf,” Ackermann said. “We are a little bit worried. We hope he’ll be right for the first round, but it’s still too early. He hurt it at training and they still need to scan it properly. They’re just waiting for the first few days to pass to see whether he’ll be right for the first round.”
Adding to Ackermann’s selection headaches is Springbok scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who continues to nurse an ankle injury sustained during the Nations Championship series.
“He’s also one who I think will struggle to be ready for the start of the season, because an ankle injury is always something one can’t rush,” Ackermann admitted.
Despite the setback surrounding Bosch and Papier, alongside a minor hamstring issue for Le Roux, Ackermann remains encouraged by the squad’s underlying performance as the competitive kick-off approaches.
“I just said to Dobbo [Stormers coach John Dobson] that it was perfect in terms of what we wanted to see,” Ackermann added. “There were mistakes that we know we have to go and fix, but the biggest plus is that there were no injuries. Willie has a little bit of a hammy, but otherwise we came through reasonably well, and there were also some good moments that we’re happy about.”
