The well-being of troubled wing Sbu Nkosi, and not whether to terminate his Vodacom Bulls contract, is the main focus of the Pretoria outfit.
This is according to Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone, who played a key role in helping to find the missing Springbok speedster.
The Bulls first reported Nkosi as a missing person after failing to reach him for three weeks, during which he failed to turn up to any team activities.
On Monday, following extensive efforts from Rathbone, the Blue Bulls Company confirmed that Nkosi had been found safe and sound at his father’s house in Emalahleni.
In an interview with News24, Nkosi explained that mental health battles led to his decision to drop off the radar and return home.
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Speaking ahead of the Bulls’ debut European Champions Cup match, against Lyon at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, Rathbone told media: “It’s difficult to put a timeline on [Nkosi’s return to action]. We need to give him his space to get back to full health.
“We are arranging that support for the time when he’s ready to get that support.
“We are there to give him his space. I said to him [on Monday] that our goal is to get him back on a rugby field and feeling like a champion again, even if that means it’s not at the Bulls.
“If he needs a new start, that’s fine but it’s our job to get him ready.”
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He added: “He is an employee of the company and being absent without leave for three weeks does have consequences. But, at this stage, I’d say that we’re really missing the point if our concern is whether he has a Bulls contract or not.
“We’ve got a player that’s struggling with mental health issues and going through a really rough patch. That should be our concern: how do we get him back on his feet again and he can stand up and become the superstar rugby player that we all know he is?
“Our concern at this stage is not for Sbu the rugby player; it’s for Sbu the person. Jake [White] obviously has a job to do and to prepare the team for this weekend. Jake’s known Sbu for a long time and at this stage his concern is for him as a person.”
Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix
