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, SA Rugby Magazine reports…
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.
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.”
