South Africa’s big four clubs will have to strategise differently for next season’s Vodacom URC and Investec Champions Cup competitions.
That’s according to Blue Bulls Company CEO Edgar Rathbone, who told Netwerk24 that the 2026-27 season will demand smarter planning and tougher decisions as the road to the 2027 World Cup intensifies.
“In a World Cup year you have even less access to your Springboks, and in 2023 there were more training camps and longer rest periods,” Rathbone said. “We need to take that into account again and plan accordingly with next season in mind.”
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For the Bulls, the implications are significant. A host of senior Springboks including Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handre Pollard, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden and Ruan Nortje are expected to be unavailable for long stretches of the campaign, placing extra strain on squads already competing on two demanding fronts.
The Bulls have already begun adjusting. With Hanekom, Louw and Van Staden likely to miss significant time, the Pretoria-based outfit has moved to secure the return of former captain Hanro Liebenberg from the Leicester Tigers. The 30-year-old brings leadership, versatility across the loose trio and cover at lock.
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Crucially, the Bulls have managed to retain most of their marquee names in recent seasons, and Rathbone will be hoping to keep that trend intact with Arendse, whose Bulls contract expires in June. The Bok wing was granted a sabbatical last season, allowing him to play for the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars in Japan.
“We realise the yen will talk, but we’re negotiating with Kurt-Lee and we would really like to keep him,” said Rathbone. “He’s a very important player for us.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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