Cape Town — Sbu Nkosi doesn’t deserve to be punished for going missing for three weeks, and his rugby-playing ability is what led to Bulls coach Jake White picking him in the starting line-up for Saturday’s crunch United Rugby Championship clash against the Stormers.
The Springbok flyer was reported missing in November, and was found in early December at his stepfather’s house in eMalahleni (formerly Witbank) in Mpumalanga.
Nkosi was given time off before rejoining Bulls training about two weeks ago, and he has impressed enough to be chosen in the No 11 jersey on Friday.
Johan Goosen’s shoulder injury, which required surgery and will keep him out of action for up to six weeks — as well as the absence of the rested Springboks Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie — sees David Kriel shifting to No 15, with Cornal Hendricks the other wing due to Stravino Jacobs’ leg injury.
“It’s not a punishment … You get a guy like Sbu and he doesn’t play for a while because he needs to be punished. He needs to get back on the horse as soon as possible. He is a good player, a World Cup winner, and his influence in the team has been positive,” White said about Nkosi on Friday.
“He is one of those guys who just adds energy all the time. I think he will play well tomorrow. He has been around, he’s got some experience, and it’s also nice to have Wandisile Simelane (at outside centre) around there.
“There isn’t a particular period that he must be away from the game. I know (Stormers wing Seabelo) Senatla had an injury, but he was out for four months and came back and played reasonably well in his first game.
“So, I know it wasn’t an injury (to Nkosi), but still — having been out of the game — I have no doubt, with his time spent with the team over the last 10 days, he is prepared to play and he really wants to play. I think he will be good for us tomorrow.
“David Kriel has played a lot of rugby at fullback anyway, and it looks like a bit of a change — but let’s not forget that for the first two years, he was playing at 15.
“We’ve got Morné Steyn, Lionel Mapoe and Embrose Papier on the bench, so we are confident that the make-up of the group is what we need this weekend.”
White himself is making a return to the Bulls following abdominal surgery in December, and he cannot wait to take on the Stormers again to stop a four-match losing streak.
Asked if he had been plotting their demise with a special party trick at what should be a packed Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, White smiled and said: “Ja, 40 000 people — that’s my big one!
“I’ve missed it a lot, and it wasn’t nice watching it from a distance. I’m really healthy … I’m feeling really good.
“First time in a long time … it’s just the way it was. I had shingles in the final and I wasn’t at my best. I got Covid over Christmas, so it’s the first time that I am going into a big game now where I feel that I am a little bit more healthy and aware of it, so looking forward to it.”
Bulls Team
15 David Kriel 14 Cornal Hendricks 13 Wandisile Simelane 12 Harold Vorster 11 Sbu Nkosi 10 Chris Smith 9 Zak Burger 8 Elrigh Louw 7 Cyle Brink 6 Marco van Staden 5 Ruan Nortje (captain) 4 Jacques du Plessis 3 Mornay Smith 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 17 Simphiwe Matanzima 18 Francois Klopper 19 Ruan Vermaak 20 Nizaam Carr 21 Embrose Papier 22 Morne Steyn 23 Lionel Mapoe.
IOL Sport