Mitchell is building a Bulls legacy
Rugby supporters in Pretoria would be pleasantly surprised to learn that the excitement about Bulls rugby is not confined to their own borders or support base.
The revival of Bulls rugby can only benefit the South African game in general as was evident in the recapturing of the form of quite a few Springbok players in the side.
The names of flyhalf Handre Pollard, centre Jesse Kriel and lock Lood de Jager are household names in Bok talks and it would have no doubt pleased national coach Rassie Erasmus immensely in how they have reburnished the shine under the coaching of John Mitchell.
Not to even start talking about the exciting fullback Warrick Gelant who almost single-handedly destroyed the Sharks at King’s Park last week with his hat-trick, with Pollard playing an instrumental role in setting up his first try as well as one for wing Johnny Kotze.
Mitchell needs no introduction and he has overseen an upturn in the fortunes of the team, very similar to what he managed with the Lions back in 2011.
But it’s not only the Bok players who performed admirably, but the so-called newer kids on the block like flank Marco van Staden, scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl and especially that exciting lock RG Snyman who must have given the Springbok coach plenty to ponder over.
There is a wealth of talent available in the middle row stocks like the established Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Franco Mostert and De Jager, but on current form, the appetite and hunger of Snyman to stay involved in all areas of the game can’t be ignored.
Erasmus could have the luxury of playing Du Toit and Mostert on the blindside flank where they have mostly turned out for the Stormers and Lions respectively in the current issue of Super Rugby, which could open the door for the industrious Snyman to show what he is capable of at international level.
But what is exciting in what Mitchell is busy with at Loftus Versfeld is that he has moved away from the traditional Bulls recipe of kick and charge and their adventurous ability to keep ball in hand and start running is very good on the eye while their clever kicking game has become a decisive form of attack.
Not that the Bulls have become world-beaters overnight, but their style of playing a Lions-type of rugby has been a pleasure to watch in all circles.