CONFIRMED: Bulls complete key signing to bolster URC squad

On Tuesday, the Bulls confirmed that former Junior Springbok lock Ruan Vermaak is set to be the latest recruit at Loftus Versfeld.

The 23-year-old will join the Bulls effectively from July 1 in what will be the beginning of a three-year journey with the Tshwane-based side.

Vermaak is a former SA Schools ‘A’ player and was part of the Lions in Johannesburg before joining Japanese side, NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes, in 2021, where he has been under the tutelage of former Springbok and Bulls player, and emirates Lions coach, Johan Ackermann. He is known as a hard-working individual and brings with him versatility which has seen him not only play at lock, but also feature in the loose-forwards.

“We are excited to have a young, talented and versatile player like Ruan Vermaak joining our ranks as we continue to build and strengthen our squad,” said Bulls director of rugby, Jake White.

“We have no doubt that Ruan will add immense value to the team and the future of Bulls rugby. We are also confident that he will continue to grow to become one of the top rugby players in South Africa.”

Recently, reports suggest Bulls star Madosh Tambwe is set to head overseas, but will effectively be replaced by Sharks and Bok wing Sbu Nkosi.

Tambwe has been one of the standout stars for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship, but according to Sunday newspaper Rapport, he is now set to be released to join French club Bordeaux.

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Bulls star Tambwe, who was born in Kinshasa, is not available to the Boks as he does not have a South African passport

Although the powerful wing has a contract with the Bulls until 2023, its reported that he will be allowed to leave before 1 July this year in order to take up a big-money offer in France.

This move could also free up the Bulls to secure the services of Sbu Nkosi, who is reportedly considering an offer to join the Pretoria-based side.

In 2020, Nkosi signed a new contract with the Sharks to continue with the team until the end of 2022, but with his contract set to expire at the end of this year, Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee told TimesLive that there is a possibility the Springbok World Cup winner could leave Kings Park.

“We are still negotiating with Sbu. We’ve got a lot of high-profile players like Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am and obviously they all cost a lot of money,” said Coetzee.

“We would definitely like to keep Sbu but we haven’t agreed just beyond his current contract. There’s a possibility he might leave but nothing has been confirmed.”

Meanwhile, it’s also reported that the Sharks are still in line to lure burly centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg to Durban later this year.

According to Sunday’s Rapport, the Sharks have set their sights on the one-Test Springbok centre who is currently playing for Sale Sharks.

Janse van Rensburg, who played his only Test for the Springboks against Wales in 2016, joined the Sale Sharks in Manchester from the Lions in 2018.

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The six-foot, 109kg, 27-year-old is seen as a missing piece in the puzzle for the Sharks who offers the kind of muscle in midfield that has been missing since Andre Esterhuizen departed the union for Harlequins in England.