The Vodacom Bulls have already signed 14 of the country’s top schoolboy prospects this season as part of their long-term development strategy.
That includes star Paul Roos flyhalf Travis Pheiffer (see full list below).
“I’m just waiting for feedback from four or five players, then my contracting is done for the year as far as school players are concerned,” Bulls high-performance manager Niell Jacobs told Rapport.
Now overseeing both junior and senior recruitment, Jacobs emphasised that talent identification at Loftus Versfeld is a hands-on process.
“We don’t have other recruiters at the Bulls. I’m just the guy,” he explained.
“My job is to watch rugby from U16 level all the way up to seniors, and we ask our coaches to watch as widely as possible.
“We follow players from U16 level onwards. We watch as many games as possible every weekend,” said Jacobs. “It takes time to get to smaller schools, but we make the effort.”
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Explaining the thought processes behind identifying players, he said: “Each position has boxes that need to be ticked.
“But we also do thorough research on character, how they perform at school and what type of person they are.
“It’s very important what type of person we bring to Loftus. We also look at whether there’s an opportunity for the player to study and play.”
“The most important thing is how a player can develop and how coachable he is.”
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Schoolboys signed with Bulls: Matthew Prins (prop, Outeniqua), Charl Els (hooker, Affies), Kwagga van der Vyver (loose forward, Garsfontein), Martin van Niekerk (lock, Affies), Bernhardt Schulze (lock, Paarl Gimnasium), Liam de Villiers (scrumhalf, Paarl Boys’), Fourie Roberts (scrumhalf, Affies), Travis Pheiffer (flyhalf, Paul Roos), Jaydon Viljoen (flyhalf, Monument), Dylan Stumke (centre, Menlopark), Thabiso Simelane (centre, St Alban’s), Ruan Genis (wing, Monument), Drewyn Baron (fullback, Garsfontein), Joshua Gouws (wing, Affies).
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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