Willie le Roux's honest assessment on his transition to flyhalf
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok fullback Willie le Roux has donned the No.10 jersey for the Bulls the past three weeks, following a successful cameo off the bench against the Lions a month ago.
The injury to Johan Goosen led to Bulls Director of Rugby bringing Le Roux in from fullback to flyhalf not just for his experience but also his leadership.
“The reason I moved him to flyhalf is that I didn’t have a captain,” White said after the Bulls’ victory over the Stormers in Cape Town.
“I lost Ruan Nortje and Elrich Louw, and I thought if he played fullback he’s just too far, and I needed him a bit closer,” White added.
Le Roux’s record at flyhalf for the Bulls reads: two wins and one loss which came against the Sharks a week ago when he was replaced in the second half due to a stiff groin.
The Springbok veteran shared his experience since moving to the flyhalf role.
“I enjoy it [playing flyhalf], when I was 15 [years old] I played a lot of flyhalf and came into the No.10 berth to help when the [starting] playmaker is on the ground etc.
“It’s just calling the plays. The defensive [set] is different like where to slot back in the defensive line after a tackle.
“Usually with fullback, you’re just covering your space at the back, at flyhalf it’s different defensively.
“It’s those small adjustments I’m still trying to figure out, one learns something new every week, but I’m enjoying the flyhalf role.”
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Le Roux also clarified which areas of his game he feels he needs to work on.
“What I’ve noticed at fullback is I have a lot more time at my disposal to see where the space is.
“At flyhalf, because I have to call the shots – you might miss the space you’d normally see at fullback and miss a couple of opportunities.
“Something I can work on is to look up quicker to who is in front of me, who is standing second last on defence and when to go wide.
“With the defensive system that’s different – a few elements come into play that one hasn’t been done in a while such as restarts and line-kicks – all those things you did 10 years ago.
“There are many things that I can work on, but I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m enjoying it so far.”
