Bulls captain Coetzee knows where he stands with Springbok coaches

Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee says he knows where he stands with Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber after he was left out of the Rugby Championship squads against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.

Coetzee was part of the Bok squad for the three-match Test series against Wales, in which he played in the second match in Bloemfontein, but was released to his province for the Rugby Championship.

As the Bulls prepared for the opening match of the United Rugby Championship (URC) against the Lions at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park on Saturday, Coetzee said he used the six-week preseason to work on improving things highlighted by the Bok coaches. 

Competition is fierce among the loose forwards and it remains to be seen if Coetzee will get a crack at the end-of-year tour to Europe when the Boks meet Ireland, France, Italy and England.

The Bulls start the URC season this weekend after six weeks of a high-intensity preseason. Coetzee is keen to see how his team fares against the Lions, given the number of new recruits they have.

“Preseason gives you six weeks with the team for the guys to blend a bit on and off the field, and I think the new guys have settled in very well. There is some quality talent coming through and they have already established themselves well in terms of blending into the team environment.

“I know where I stand with the coaches,” he said. “They gave me a few things to work on and that’s what I have been trying to do during this preseason. [I’m] just trying to fix the things they feel have been lacking in my game and hopefully during these few games of the coming season I can benefit from what I have been working on at training.

“I am also hoping to benefit the team and improve my personal game,” Coetzee said.

“Everyone is excited, it’s been a gruelling six weeks of preseason and everyone is looking forward to the first game. We know the quality loosies [loose forwards] they [the Lions] have under Jaco Kriel.

“It is the first game of the season and it might be a bit rusty, it might be a bit all over the place. But the quicker we can find our feet and get our systems implemented and working, it should be in for a good game. I am curious to see how they [the Bulls players] are going to go this weekend. It looks like they are enjoying it and hopefully they can show that on the pitch.”

Coetzee congratulated speedy Bulls winger Canan Moodie, who scored a try on debut in the Rugby Championship win over Australia two weeks ago.

“Everyone here at the Bulls is happy for Canan, for how quickly he made his strides. I played with him in the Currie Cup and he was about 18 or 19 years old at the time and now he is a Springbok.

“He scored a phenomenal try on his Bok debut. We back him all the way and we’re excited to see how far he is going to take it,” Coetzee said.