Bulls release Bok star on sabbatical

NEWS: Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse will join Japan for five months as part of a sabbatical that was granted to him by the Bulls.

The Bok star will miss out on the Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks in Cape Town this weekend after he left the field concussed at Ellis Park the past weekend.

The Bulls confirmed that Arendse will join the Sagamihara DynaBoards in Japan from December 1 until April 2025.

A spokesperson for the Bulls responded to a request by Rugby365 on the status of the proposed sabbatical.

“I can confirm that Kurt-Lee Arendse has been granted a five-month sabbatical by the club, which will see him away from the club beginning December 2024 until April 2025,” Lunga Kupiso, spokesperson for the Bulls, confirmed.

Arendse was crowned the the  MVP AND Player of the Season at the Bulls Awards last week.

And FINALLY, the @Vodacom Bulls MVP AND Vodacom BULLS #URC Player of the Year goes to… 👑

Vodacom #BullsAwards2024 #VodacomTurns30 pic.twitter.com/qzC8gU4F3d

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— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) August 28, 2024

This is similar to the sabbatical that was previously granted to Marcel Coetzee is not permanent.

The Bulls flyer boasts a playing resume that few can rival. He’s an Olympian, a World Rugby Sevens Series player, and a World Cup winner.

He will link up with his Japanese club for the Japan Rugby League One season that runs from December to May following his commitments with the Springboks in November following his commitments to the Springboks.

Arendse is contracted to the Bulls until June 2026 and will return to the side following his stint in Japan.

Arendse is set to miss the bulk of the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup but should be available for the play-offs should the Bulls still be in the running.