Bulls lock in Junior Bok star

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The Vodacom Bulls have secured the services of one of South Africa’s rising talents and standout performers at the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship.

Lock JF van Heerden has signed his first senior professional contract with the Bulls after an impressive 2023-24 debut season with the Pretoria outfit. The 20-year-old has signed a three-year deal which will see him call Loftus Versfeld home until June 2027.

Van Heerden, a Grey College alum who represented the Free State at Craven Week, earned a call-up into the 2022 SA U18 Schools team as well as the U18 side that won the subsequent International Series later that year.

The imposing lock graduated into the Junior Boks setup where he has won seven caps.

Van Heerden arrived at Loftus in 2023 where he slotted into the U20 setup and made six appearances before graduating to the senior setup at the beginning of this season. He has made six appearances across the Champions Cup and the Vodacom URC.

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“The club has a really good program that they are running and I have personally grown a lot in this program. I am excited to see what the next three years will do for me over the next three years,” Van Heerden said.

“There are a lot of good guys who are easy to work with and that is exciting. There is a few young guys who I can relate to and we can go a long way with, that is exciting for me. There are also a few experienced guys who I can learn from.”

“My biggest highlight so far was the victory over the Stormers, getting the opportunity to come off the bench in front of a full Loftus was quite special for me,” he added.

“I am looking forward to getting better, settling in at the club and being a part of a squad that can go all the way and win the United Rugby Championship.”

Photo: Albert Perez/Getty Images

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