Bulls rising star hungry for game time after Bok experience

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After spending some time with the Springboks, hooker Johan Grobbelaar is itching to get on to the field and continue where he left off at the Vodacom Bulls.

The Tshwane-based side continue their Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign when they take on the Sharks in a South African derby at Kings Park on Friday night.

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Grobbelaar is yet to get a taste of the URC after last turning out for the Bulls in the successful Currie Cup campaign before he received a call-up to join the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship in Australia.

“It was a great opportunity to be part of the Springboks set-up. I was very surprised and excited to get the call-up. It was great to see how the system works. But now I’m just looking forward to playing for the Bulls and getting some game time,” the 23-year-old hooker said.

Grobbelaar will be vying for a spot in the Bulls team facing the Sharks on Friday night. He acknowledges the healthy competition within the squad and is aware that he needs to earn his place among equally talented hookers, which include Bismarck du Plessis, Schalk Erasmus, Sidney Tobias and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Once the explosive hooker has bagged a few URC caps, he will hope for continued impressive performances to ultimately return to the national set-up and in the process get some Test experience.

“The next step comes with time. For now, one just needs to do what they need to do every week – play good rugby,” said the level-headed Grobbelaar.

“There are a lot of good hookers at the moment. My focus now is to continue playing and doing well for the Bulls, then any other opportunity can follow. Just to get some game time and be on the field is very important for now. If I can play consistently week in, week out my chance will come.”

The Bulls match against the Sharks will kick off at 7pm on Friday.

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images

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Dylan Jack