Bulls set to reap the rewards after World Cup

INTERVIEW: Marcell Coetzee is confident that the Bulls will reap the rewards of the World Cup experience some of their young stars will gain as they look to the coming season.

As they build towards the new United Rugby Championship season which kicks off in October, Coetzee said he felt the Bulls had a good balance between senior players and the kind of “X-factor” young stars they want to develop.

“We have the ability with the senior players in our squad to help produce Springboks and that’s a big tick for us as a team,” said Coetzee.

“The likes of Cornal Hendricks, Stedman Gans, Johan Goosen and other senior players giving guidance to players like Kurt-Lee [Arendse] and Canan [Moodie] is really paying dividends.

“I’m glad we’ve got that balance.

Coetzee is counting on Moodie and Arendse to help lift the team to new levels when they return to Pretoria after the World Cup.

The Bulls will also have veteran fullback Willie le Roux in their ranks later this year.

“It’s going to be great for us in the sense of the World Cup experience that they’ll bring back to us and help us to keep growing as a team.

“Ultimately, the Bulls want to create X-factor players and if you can get that balance right between seniors and juniors and that experience that they’re building – that will be exceptional.”

The Bulls will kick off their URC season with a match against the Scarlets at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, October 22.