Burger did not fit Bulls’ future plans
White explains his skipper’s shock exit
Bulls director of coaching Jake White has finally explained the reasons behind the shock decision to allow former captain and crowd favourite Burger Odendaal to leave the Pretoria side last month.
The 27-year-old Odendaal joined the Lions after his shock exit from the Bulls and White said he allowed the unexpected move to happen when he realised he was not going to be able to guarantee him game time.
White said he told the experienced centre he could not guarantee his place in the team as the Bulls would be playing a brand of rugby that was different to the one the side played under his captaincy.
“I just felt that it was going to be difficult to continue with him as captain or player because I was not guaranteeing him a place in the starting line-up‚” said White. “The way the Bulls have played in the past‚ he [Odendaal] was very important to them as captain and leader. I had a chat with him and told him, ‘the reality is that you have been a great servant of the Bulls but I can’t guarantee you a starting position’. It had nothing to do with him as a person.
“He realised that from a market value as captain of the Bulls team where he was on a good salary to not being guaranteed game time‚ he decided to go,” White added, comparing the situation to that of former centre De Wet Barry in White’s time as Bok coach.
White also said he heard rumours that South African teams may go into a ‘bio-bubble’ to play their own version of New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa.