Mitchell back in Joburg,

THERE IS no doubt that Warrick Gelant is the Springbok fullback in waiting and it is only a matter of time before he dons the green-and-gold jersey.

But the fleet-footed Gelant is not looking too far ahead and says that his primary job is to play his part in making sure that the Blue Bulls do well in the Currie Cup.

“It was a huge, huge blessing for me when I got called up to the squad. There are guys who have played an entire career and never got called up to the Boks so for me to be part of the squad was amazing. My primary job is to play for the Bulls and do well. To get higher honours and represent the country would be great but it was just wonderful for me to be part of the squad and see how they do things,” said Gelant.

And Gelant has already played a significant role for the Bulls this season with his devastating speed and timely runs into space during the domestic competition.

The 22-year-old Gelant has shown this season that he stands heads and shoulders above most players in the domestic game and it comes as no surprise that he feels that he is playing the best rugby of his fledgling career.

The fact that Gelant has suffered few injuries this year compared to the two major injuries (fractured eye socket and knee ligaments) that saw him miss most of last year, has helped grow Gelant’s confidence and allowed him to showcase his scintillating talent.

“Obviously I came back after being injured for a year and for me it was a big battle from that double blow last year.”

The arrival of John Mitchell at Loftus Versfeld in July has also contributed to Gelant realising his talents. The former Hoerskool Outeniqua star believes that Mitchell has opened up his mind to new things in the game.

“He is a guy that has been part of a few successful teams and he is a student of the game. The way he does things is phenomenal and it opens one’s mind to things that we never saw,” Gelant addedl.

And Mitchell will look to a fit-again Gelant to influence the result when they take on the Golden Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday. Centre Burger Odendaal is expected to lead the team after recovering from injury, with prop Pierre Schoeman also set to return to the starting line-up in place of the injured Lizo Gqoboka.

Even though the Bulls are lying second from bottom on the log, Gelant says it is important that continue to grow in the new system and structures that have been brought in by Mitchell.

“We are not too fazed about where we are at the moment. For us it is about starting a new process and growing in it. We have a plan that we started installing this week and we want to go forward with it. Obviously the Lions are a great team with great individual players, especially in their backline,” said Gelant.