Stedman Gans was effusive when asked about the progress of Vodacom Bulls teammate and fellow sevens convert Kurt-Lee Arendse this season.

Both Gans and Arendse were key players as the Bulls were resurrected under Jake White in 2020 and 2021, winning back-to-back Currie Cup titles and progressing to the final of the PRO14 Rainbow Cup.

Since then, Arendse has shifted from the left wing to fullback and continued his upward trajectory in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, where the Bulls are hoping to qualify for the playoffs.

Gans, meanwhile, has mostly been utilised in the Currie Cup as the Bulls have tried to spread their player resources evenly between the two ongoing competitions.

During a virtual news conference on Wednesday, Gans was asked about Arendse’s progress at fullback.

“First of all, he’s a very hard worker, and mentally very tough,” Gans explained. “Coach Jake moved him to 15 and he’s performing very well in that position.”

Arendse was recently named South Africa’s URC player of the month for March, an indication of how quickly he has taken to his positional switch.

“He worked a lot on those skills and perfecting that craft and he’s got natural ability and talent that a lot of guys don’t have and he’s been very good for us,” Gans added.

“He’s going to go far. His mentality and work rate are in the right place. He understands the position and it suits his game well.”

The Bulls will have a bye weekend in both competitions after their Currie Cup fixture against the Sharks was called off due to the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. The Pretoria-based team will be back in action when they host Italian outfit Benetton on Saturday, 23 April.

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