VIDEO: KLA leaves a huge hole
VIDEO: The Bulls arrived in Galway on Monday ahead of their United Rugby Championship clash with Connacht on Saturday, a place they have never been able to secure a win.
The third-placed Bulls have a tough task ahead with Connacht placed two spots below them, while the weather conditions will also be a huge challenge.
Their older and experienced wing Devon Williams sat down with reporters and spoke about the gap that Springbok Kurt-Lee Arendse has left in the side.
Arendse, who has been with the Bulls since 2020, is off on a sabbatical in Japan where he will play for the Dynaboars.
He will only be back in Pretoria in May for the URC playoffs.
However, he is still contracted with the Bulls until 2026.
Williams is one of the players who will need to fill the big boots the Springbok has left in the Bulls squad.
“Kurt is a special player, he has won World Cups and will leave a big hole,” Williams said.
“The back three now needs to fill that hole and it leaves the opportunity for younger players to step up,” he added.
Williams is not a spring chicken, at 32, but having come into the Bulls squad late in his career after spending eight years with the Pumas, he says he still learned from the World Cup-winning Arendse.
“Kurt-Lee with his experience is always a guy you can go to.
He hasn’t got a big ego.
That door was always open, anything you want to know to improve your own game, he was always welcoming,” Williams said.
In February this year, the utility back signed a three-year contract with the Bulls until 2027.
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Galway
Galway is a place where one can have four seasons in one day, making it very difficult to predict what kind of weather to expect this Saturday.
But Williams said the team will just have to adapt, not only to the weather conditions but also to the surface as they will be playing on 3G synthetic surface.
“It’s important to adapt from grass to the surface and get used to it quickly.
“We can adjust to the weather,” Williams said, adding: “We have a certain style that we want to play.
“The weather here can be four seasons in one day.
“Connacht knows the rain and wind [well] so we must leave room to adapt.
“We have an experienced side and not all the guys have played in all weather conditions, so I think there is enough experience to guide those players.
“We should have enough experience to adapt to any conditions.”
No big names
Connacht will be without their Ireland stars as they face Australia in the latter’s final fixture of their Grand Slam Tour, a fixture that is outside the international window.
Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen, Finley Bealham, and Ciaran Prendergast have all remained in Dublin with the Irish squad for the Aussie fixture, and won’t be available for the match.
Williams said it makes no difference to the Bulls, as Connacht is always a tough outing.
“It doesn’t change anything for the weekend.
“It’s another opportunity for us to express how we want to play.
Looking at their style of play, they like to send the ball wide and they have strong ball carriers.
“They have a good variety and a good mix.”
