The Bulls have suffered a double injury blow with the news that promising prop Simphiwe Matanzima and centre Dylan Sage will spend the next few weeks to months on the sidelines.
The 22-year-old Matanzima has hurt his AC joint and won’t play for the next four to six weeks, while Sage fractured his ankle at the weekend and is set for a three-month layoff.
The good news though is that Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane made a successful return to Super Rugby last week and will now push for a starting place in the Bulls team.
Also, loose forward Tim Agaba, who has struggled to shake off a neck niggle, will start training at the end of this week, while Bok flank Marco van Staden, who has been sidelined with concussion, started doing selected training exercises yesterday.
The Bulls, who lost to the Sharks in Durban in their 2020 Super Rugby season opener on Friday, next play the Stormers, who beat the Hurricanes at Newlands last Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Bulls yesterday confirmed that director of rugby, Alan Zondagh, had decided to part ways with the Pretoria-based union just a year after starting in the role.
The former Western Province coach said he wanted to spend more time with his family, who are based in the Cape. The Bulls will not fill the position immediately, with head coach Pote Human and company chief executive Alfons Meyer sharing the role’s responsibilities.
While Zondagh will no longer be the full-time director, he will remain involved with the Bulls in a lesser capacity, assisting with rugby projects.
“My time in rugby wasn’t about a career or job, it was truly a way of life for me,” said the man who has been involved in rugby for 40 years, including holding the position of director of rugby at Saracens between 1999 and 2000. “Once the Bulls Family gets into your blood, you can never leave it behind, so as much as I look forward to a bit of relaxation, I’m also keen to get stuck into a few projects assisting the team,” said Zondagh.
@jacq_west
The Star
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