No Morne? No problem as Jake eagerly enlists growing Chris Smith
News24
21 May 2021, 22:13 GMT+10
Bulls mentor Jake White has happily selected Chris Smith to pull the strings at flyhalf against the Lions this weekend in Morne Steyn s absence.
Steyn is being rested as part of Springbok protocol and the Bulls are convinced Smith will slot in easily despite the threat of a desperate opposition.
Smith has had a surprisingly substantial amount of game time for a second-choicer and has seized those opportunities by playing steadily every time.
Bulls mentor Jake White, rightly, holds absolutely no reservations enlisting Chris Smith as his starting flyhalf for Saturday s PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA meeting with the Lions.
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Springbok lock
Marvin Orie has opted to leave the Lions after his contract with the Johannesburg franchise expired this month.
The Lions posted farewell messages to the 27-year-old, thanking him for his service since he joined them from the Bulls in 2017.
It s so far unclear where Orie s next destination is, however it s understood that he could be on the market for an overseas move.
The Cape Town-born forward started his youth rugby career at Western Province before moving to Pretoria and being part of the victorious 2013 Varsity Cup University of Pretoria Tuks team that also included Springboks Handre Pollard, Bongi Mbonambi and Courtnall Skosan.
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Jake White is drawing on his experience in French rugby to help his Bulls navigate the potential minefield of going into the Currie Cup semis as the team that finished top of the log.
As the Bulls director of rugby notes, finishing top and not having much game time going into a playoff can become a stumbling block.
In terms of their game plan, the Bulls don t plan on going into their shell for the clash against the Lions.
While the four Currie Cup semi-finalists almost equal lack of game-time going into this weekend s round of playoffs is undeniably a leveller for all, Jake White is hoping to draw on his experiences in the French Top 14 previously to help his Bulls navigate the minefield.