The Bulls have suffered a big blow to their preparations for Saturday’s Currie Cup final against the Sharks as star flyhalf Johan Goosen has been ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.
As confirmed by Bulls sources, Goosen tested positive following the mandatory testing procedure 48 hours after Saturday’s semi-final against Western Province. He will now miss the final as he will be in quarantine.
The good news for the Bulls is that none of their other players or coaches have returned positive tests, allowing them to continue preparations for the final uninterrupted.
However, the loss of Goosen will be a big one for the Bulls, as they are already without Springbok veteran Morne Steyn, leaving Chris Smith as their senior playmaker. It is now likely that Smith will be named to start when coach Jake White announces the team on Friday, with one of juniors Jandre Burger or FC du Plessis on the bench.
Smith started in the Rainbow Cup final against Benetton in Treviso and was among the Bulls to have struggled to adapt to the conditions, but will have a big opportunity to set the record straight against the Sharks.
Goosen’s vision and pace will be missed, though. The 29-year-old scored a try, kicked six conversions and two penalties for a haul of 23 points. He also controlled the game superbly, as his pinpoint kicking game kept the Bulls moving forward, while he managed to put the outside backs into space with a number of well-balanced passes.
“I have been fortunate enough to coach a lot of good players and see so many good players come through teams that I have coached. He [Goosen] is no different,” White said post-match. “You saw tonight what he is like when he is on song.
“Sure, our forwards were good, but we didn’t get a lineout or a scrum for a long time in the game and when we did, obviously the forwards got us good front-foot ball. Before that, his game control, his understanding of what to do and how he executed those things was phenomenal.”
Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix
