Bismarck du Plessis has opened up on how Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White coaxed him out of retirement and the challenges posed by the ongoing rugby calendar in South Africa.
It was White who in 2007 gave Du Plessis the first of his 79 Test caps and their careers have dovetailed since – at the Sharks in 2013-14, in Montpellier between 2015 and 2017 and again reunited when the hard man jumped at the opportunity to swap the south of France for Pretoria in 2021.
At the time, Du Plessis was ready to hang up his boots to take up his post-rugby career as a farmer, but was drawn back onto the field when he received a surprise visit from his coach.
“When I stopped at Montpellier last year I didn’t want to play again,” Du Plessis admitted in a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian. “I was back on the farm, on the harvester, when I suddenly got a phone call from Jake. He said: ‘I’m on your farm.’ To which I replied: ‘No, you’re not, I am.’ At which point he sent me a picture of himself standing there.”
The Vodacom Bulls will take on Exeter in their second Champions Cup clash, which forms part of a busy festive schedule, the likes of which has not been experienced before.
A tough itinerary has seen the Vodacom Bulls travel to Exeter via Doha in economy class, something Du Plessis says needs to be re-examined, along with the punishing year-round calendar.
“Suddenly it’s a 24-hour journey when it should take about 10 hours. We’re big people and you can’t perform at your best when you’re sitting in an airport and eating junk food,” he said. “It’s impossible to play every week for 10 months of the year at the highest level.”
Picks – @mark_keohane and Zels both believe @Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby are going down to Exeter in the Champions Cup.pic.twitter.com/bJ1DnBc3cx
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) December 17, 2022
Photo: EJ Langner/Gallo Images
