One grows in tough times says young Bulls captain

One of the young stars in the Bulls squad, the 23-year-old Reinhardt Ludwig, has arguably his toughest task to date when he leads the team against Connacht in Galway after their shock loss last weekend.

Ludwig takes over the captaincy from Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar, who drops down to the bench in favour of fellow Bok Jan-Hendrick Wessels. It’s one of a massive 11 changes to the Pretoria-based team after going down 7-28 to Ulster last weekend.

That game was Ludwig’s first back in six months, playing off the bench since suffering a herniated disc in April.

The Bulls have defeated Connacht in three of their four previous meetings. They have lost their last two away games and have not suffered three consecutive away defeats since October 2023.

The big occasion is not lost on the young new captain, who said he is feeling the pressure.

“I think there is some personal pressure because I don’t want to disappoint anyone. But it is not about me, I just want to do what is expected of me,” he told reporters from Galway.

“I am not alone; there is a large leadership group, comprising many experienced players. My role is just to talk to the referee. There are enough leaders and experienced players to manage the game,” he explained.

According to Ludwig, the team is hurting after last weekend’s loss and is keen to put things right and get on their winning ways again.

“There is a big desire to show character and bounce back. It’s only the fourth game of the season [under Johan Ackermann]; every week we learn and grow.

“We know things are not where they need to be, but it’s all good; we will sort it out as the season progresses.

“The biggest learning is that we had soft moments,” he added, and said the team they face this weekend, Connacht, is a quality side.

“They have 40-plus minutes of ball in play according to the stats we looked at, so they love to run with the ball.

“It is a big task ahead for us. And a big responsibility for me. The only way you learn in life is when you get thrown in the deep end and you have to swim.

“The fastest time to grow is through the tough times.

“Especially because we need a reaction after last weekend. But we definitely want to improve and bounce back from last week.”