The suspension of Johan Goosen for three matches has thrown a serious spanner in the works for the Bulls in the race for the United Rugby Championship play-offs.
A URC disciplinary panel found key playmaker Goosen guilty yesterday of an act of foul play in last week’s match against Munster, and he will have to sit out the crucial home games against the Ospreys (tomorrow), Glasgow (next week) and Benetton (May 18).
The 31-year-old flyhalf was red-carded for the offence – a head clash with scrumhalf Craig Casey – but the URC panel decided the Bulls playing with 14 men for the last half an hour of the match was not punishment enough.
The Bulls lost 27-22, and with Goosen a big part of their team, coach Jake White will now have to turn to Chris Smith and Jaco van der Walt.
With respect to the latter pair, they are some way below Goosen’s standard. The former Springbok pivot will be back from suspension for the Bulls’ final URC fixture, away to the Sharks in Durban on June 1 – although he might get a one-week discount if he goes to “tackle school”.
A statement by the URC read: “The incident met the red card threshold, with the entry of mid-range warranting six weeks. The player received three weeks (50%) mitigation due to his good record and apology to the player, which resulted in a three-game suspension.”
The loss of Goosen dents the Bulls’ ambition of securing a home quarter-final. They are currently fourth on the log with four matches to go, and can afford no more slip-ups.
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Meanwhile, Bulls lock Janko Swanepoel says the Ospreys’ shock win in Cape Town last week – only the Lions and Munster have beaten the Stormers at home in the history of the URC – has put Loftus Versfeld on high alert.
“We struggled to get a win against the Stormers, so I think going into the game, there is zero chance of us underestimating them,” the 24-year-old said.
“They play a very direct type of rugby, especially with their forwards. Our defence is going to be very important. We must prevent them from getting their maul going,” Swanepoel warned.
“Their set piece was excellent against the Stormers. They do the basics very well, and they aim to dominate the scrums and the mauls.”
But a forward battle is bread and butter for the Bulls, and the up-and-coming second-rower said his pack are looking forward to taking the challenge to the Welsh visitors.
“We are regarded as a very physical team with big forwards, so I think it will be to our advantage this weekend. We must take the game to them. There will be no holding back.”
Swanepoel joined the Bulls straight out of school at Stellenberg High in the Cape, and has flourished in one of the great second-row factories of the world.
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Loftus Versfeld churns out great locks almost at will, and the towering 2m tall Swanepoel is the latest product.
“All of the locks at the Bulls are very close,” he said. “The coaches play a big role, the likes of coach Russell Winter last season, with coach Andries Bekker this season … I’d say Andries in particular. He played for the Springboks and was very good in the line-outs.
“I have to credit them for how they have helped us locks improve.
“You are never perfect as a rugby player. I feel I need to work on my defence a bit more, especially getting off the ground and getting a better alignment on my opposition.”