Vodacom Bulls talisman Marcell Coetzee is in line to feature against the DHL Stormers when the teams clash next week in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarter-finals.
The Springbok flank made his last appearance for the Bulls on 30 October before joining the Kobe Steelers in Japan on a six-month sabbatical.
The Japan League One season ran from 18 December to 23 April, after which the 31-year-old was due to return to The Herd.
In a social media post last week, Coetzee said he “can’t wait” to rejoin the team he captained for what will be a rematch of last season’s URC final in Cape Town.
Speaking on Friday in the build up to this week’s Currie Cup derby between Western Province and the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium, White compared Coetzee’s value to the Bulls to Deon Fourie’s worth for the Stormers.
“Marcell will definitely be back on Monday and we’ll assess him. I’ve no doubt that he is fit because when you play in Japan you run a lot,” White told reporters.
“And he is important to us; you see when you read the articles about what Deon Fourie means to the Stormers and their results lately without him.
“It would be stupid of me not to use Marcell next weekend in any form, whether he comes in as a starter, whether he comes in on the bench, whether he is in as captain.
“All that will depend on how we go this weekend and going into next weekend.”
Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix