Potgieter back with the Bulls
The Bulls have lured seasoned utility back Jacques-Louis Potgieter back from France ahead of the Super Rugby season.
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd confirmed that Potgieter and sports psychologist Jannie Botha have both been added to their roster ahead of the 2014 season.
Potgieter just returned from France, following stints with Bayonne and Dax.
Botha, who has worked with the union's junior teams in the past, will now also act as mentor, counselor and life skills coach to the senior squad.
Potgieter, who was schooled in Pretoria, made his Super Rugby debut for the Bulls in 2007, before moving to the Cheetahs in search of more game time.
He returned to Pretoria in 2010, before accepting a contract to join the Sharks a year later, from where he moved to France.
He has signed on till the end of the 2015 Super Rugby season.
Potgieter has 42 Super Rugby caps, 15 of those with the Bulls, 17 with the Cheetahs and 10 with the Sharks.
Coach Frans Ludeke said he was "very pleased" with the acquisition of Potgieter, who was a squad member when the Bulls last won the Super Rugby title with Ludeke at the helm.
"Jacques-Louis has some very valuable assets that he brings to the squad," Ludeke said.
"He is vastly experienced, having played for three franchises and experienced the Top 14 in France. He is a reliable and accurate kicker, can play in most positions in the backline and brings some stability into our youthful backline.
"Importantly also, he has been part of the Bulls in the past. He knows the culture, work ethic and drive to improve, so will slot in without any hassles."
The BBC's High Performance Manager, Xander Janse van Rensburg, also confirmed the addition of sports psychologist and mental coach, Botha, to the Bulls management team.
Botha, who holds a degree from the University of Pretoria and a doctorate from University of Stellenbosch, is well-respected in sports circles, having work with a number of teams in the past – including the Springbok Sevens team, international golfers and Olympic athletes in swimming, athletics and tennis, to name a few.
BBC CEO Barend van Graan sees the inclusion of Botha as an important step in the BBC's drive to develop the player as a person as well.
"Botha has been working with our junior teams since 2012 and proved to be very successful, hence the decision to bring him on board to the benefit of all our teams. His life skills coaching, mentoring and counselling ability is well known and respected and I am very pleased that our players will benefit from this."
