GAME-CHANGER: Bok legend Fourie du Preez to coach with the Bulls

Towards the end of 2020, Fourie du Preez first agreed to assist his former team on an informal basis, regularly popping in at Loftus to assist the scrumhalves at the Bulls.

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“I think that Fourie, even though he doesn’t want to coach, can play a massive role as a consultant to imparting his knowledge to guys like Embrose [Papier] and maybe even the U21 scrumhalves we have in our system,” Bulls coach Jake White said at the time.

“I think he is a specialist in that he is fantastic at what he did. He understands that he has massive amounts of intellectual property. Using a consultant like Fourie will be massive and without giving too much away, he is definitely somebody who I am going to be talking to.”

The Bulls have now confirmed that Du Preez will continue in this all-important role in 2021, and will be working with the pool of scrumhalves in the Bulls setup.

Fourie du Preez played 76 Tests for the Boks

Du Preez is widely regarded as one of the greatest scrumhalves to have ever played the game, while his ability to read the game set him apart as a player who teammates and opponents viewed as a ‘rugby genius’.

While the 38-year-old will not be coaching on a full-time basis, he is sure to add value throughout the Bulls ranks, with Papier particularly set to have a prime opportunity to develop under his mentorship as he seeks to earn a national recall.

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In confirming the news, Bulls president Willem Strauss credited White for securing the services of the Bok icon.

“Jake has reached an agreement with legendary Bulls scrumhalf Fourie du Preez to work once again with the scrumhalves in our system this season! The is fantastic news for the No 9s in our squad!”