Bulls need to get used to life without KLA

It may sound like a relatively easy task given the depth in the Vodacom Bulls squad, but the reality is that the Pretoria side need to fill a giant hole in their backline with the departure of Kurt-Lee Arendse to Japan.

Arendse’s move for a sabbatical to the Mitsubishi Dynaboars for the upcoming Japanese season was the best case scenario the Bulls could have hoped for.

Arendse, who had been looking to boost his salary through big money offers, could have been lost to the Bulls forever, but instead the short-term deal was done that will see him return to the province where he became a Springbok.

It isn’t an easy hole to fill. While convention may dictate that the next player needs to step up, Arendse is a mercurial talent, someone who, despite his size, manages to make metres in tackles, bounce off defenders and score some unbelievable tries. And that’s not even mentioning the sidestep that has mesmerised so many defences.

Arendse is now a regular in the Springbok team, forming a scrumcap alliance with Cheslin Kolbe for the No 1 side in the world, and while there may be a lot of other talents in the Bulls group, there will always be only one KLA.

But that is the reality for the Bulls, and it starts on Saturday against Connacht, where Arendse will be missed and along with lock and captain Ruan Nortje are the glaring omissions from the Bulls squad to tour Europe.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of talent in the Bulls group, but life without KLA is something the team will have to get used to, particularly because he could always be relied upon to make a game-breaking linebreak, or score a try out of nowhere.

– SuperSport.com