Cape Town — What does the best Bulls backline look like? Well, even coach Jake White is not exactly sure at the moment.
What complicates matters is the fact that Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie are at the Springbok camp and not available for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship derby against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld (4.45pm kickoff).
In addition, Johan Goosen — who may have been regarded by some as a Bulls ‘saviour’ of sorts — is out of action for six weeks with a shoulder injury, while he also blew hot and cold when he was on the pitch.
Wing Stravino Jacobs is a long-term injury casualty as well, and Sbu Nkosi only returned against the Stormers a few weeks ago.
White opted to spin the wheel on Friday and re-jigged most of the backline that started in the 23-19 loss to the Capetonians, with Nkosi the only survivor in terms of position.
How’s this: Wandisile Simelane moves from outside centre to fullback; Sibongile Novuka has been handed the No 14 jersey; Cornal Hendricks shifts from right wing to No 13, David Kriel goes from No 15 to No 12, and Morné Steyn and Embrose Papier are the new halfbacks.
“I’m going to be honest — I don’t know. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t know because I know what I can get with Harold and Lionel, I know what I can get with Cornal at 12, with Lionel (Mapoe at 13)… I’ve seen those combinations,” White said on Friday.
“It’s not just about one guy in one position. It’s about the combination and how we are going to look as an interchangeable backline. If that centre combination works, then when I get Canan and Kurt-Lee back, then we’ve got to try a different combination in terms of the collective group.
“Athletically, understanding the game in terms of where we are, it’s a backline that I am comfortable will understand what they have to do. That’s all I can ask them for — they’ve done their homework, they execute what we’ve decided, they use the skills that we’ve picked them for, and that they help each other as a collective unit.
“It’s not trials where you’ve got to try to impress me individually… It’s a collective unit showing me whether or not that backline works — Cornal’s played wing and David’s played fullback and wing, so there’s no lack of pace or game understanding. I’m hoping that’s another combination that we can play in the next couple of weeks in different games.”
White added that the bigger picture was about creating an environment where players can operate in different positions, just like Irish giants Leinster.
But the heat is on in the current season, as the Bulls are sixth on the URC log with 41 points, with four rounds remaining — Lions on Saturday, Ulster away on March 25, Zebre at home on April 15 and Leinster at Loftus on April 22 — in the race for a quarter-final spot.
In between, the Pretoria side will also contest the Champions Cup round of 16 against Toulouse in France on April 2.
“We are not there yet… it’s going to take a bit of time. David Kriel has just turned 24, so we will take a bit longer (to develop a firing backline),” White said.
“But if you look at the Leinster model, they swap guys around and play them in different positions. They have to play different combinations because they are in so many different competitions — they sent a different team to South Africa last season.
“I’ve learnt over the years after having coached in France, Australia and Japan, I used the Australian example — four fullbacks in their World Cup squad, and all great players like Stephen Larkham, Matt Burke, Joe Roff and Chris Latham, who played in the same backline.
“A guy like Henry Immelman (from Edinburgh) joining us plays 12, 13, 14, 15, so the process of what we are trying to get into place will take time, but it’s a great test.
“I don’t feel that it’s a risk all the time, because the long-term plan is to get all of our backline players from 10 to 15 to be in different positions from multi-phase, first-phase… In the old days, the ball used to go from nine to 10, and now it can go from a nine to the winger, who can carry in the first phase.
“Or it goes nine to 12, and they play out of the back. That’s how the shape of the game has changed… The true test is in the next couple of weeks as we change different guys.
“But the measurement is not just on this season, but how we are going to be when keeping this group of players for a while… long-term deals and trying to get to where we want to be.”
Bulls Team
15 Wandisile Simelane 14 Sibongile Novuka 13 Cornal Hendricks 12 David Kriel 11 Sbu Nkosi 10 Morné Steyn 9 Embrose Papier 8 Elrigh Louw 7 WJ Steenkamp 6 Marco van Staden 5 Ruan Nortje (captain) 4 Jacques du Plessis 3 Mornay Smith 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Dylan Smith.
Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 17 Simphiwe Matanzima 18 Francois Klopper 19 Ruan Vermaak 20 Cyle Brink 21 Bernard van der Linde 22 Chris Smith 23 Harold Vorster.
IOL Sport