Fourie leads Bulls’ charge
3 Jan 2008
Fourie du Preez has replaced Victor Matfield as the Bulls’ Super 14 captain.
Former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer often talked up the scrumhalf’s leadership abilities, but ironically it’s new coach Frans Ludeke who’s entrusted him with the captaincy on a permanent basis. However, with Matfield playing for French club Toulon until mid-March and Gary Botha in the UK, Du Preez was the obvious choice for 2008.
“We lost quite a number of senior players and with the new guys coming in as well as a new coach our aim should be to build on what we have accomplished in the past,” Du Preez told the Bulls website.
“For me personally it was a huge honour to play under Victor Matfield. We had a very good relationship and I think we complimented each other. I also learned a lot from playing under Anton Leonard.”
Ludeke told the Bulls website that he is fully confident in Du Preez’s captaincy credentials.
“Fourie always leads by example, he is a master tactician as well as a wonderful rugby player and I know he can do the job,” he said.
– Read more about the Bulls’ Super 14 campaign in the new issue of SA Rugby magazine
24 Comments
3 Jan 2008, 20:46 pm
Lekker, lekker Fourie du Preez…
Man, jy moet onse spannetjie moooooooi bymekaar hou…….. jy is wêreldklas !!
Gooi mielies !
3 Jan 2008, 20:47 pm
Purrtyy, pity Victor is not available, and that FdP’s play is not hampered by captaincy. Congrats
3 Jan 2008, 20:52 pm
Wonder hoe gaan dit met Fourie Du Preez se skouerbesering…….. dit het maar kwaai gelol hier teen die einde??
3 Jan 2008, 22:03 pm
Du Preez = captain
Van Heerden = vice captain
Kuun and Ralepelle = future captains
Matfield returning halfway through the super 14 – not too much leadership trouble at the Bulls, me thinks.
Now as for the Stormers…
3 Jan 2008, 22:14 pm
this opens the door for HM to pick him as bok captain. looks like he’ll now have 3 choices. smit, matfield and du preez. which do you think he’ll choose?
3 Jan 2008, 22:40 pm
Good luck to Fourie du Preez. However I suspect that he will end up carrying much of the can on behalf of Ludeke’s incompetence as a coach. How he got this job I simply cannot fathom – he made an utter mess of coaching the Lions!
4 Jan 2008, 02:13 am
Good stuff!
ps. Ralepelle is like 10 years away from being Bulls captain.
4 Jan 2008, 02:44 am
4. Leadership at Bulls
Too many Chiefs, too little Indians
4 Jan 2008, 02:55 am
#2 I agree. I think he is such good a player, being captain may change the way he plays a bit.
I think the bulls would be better served with a different captain. Not sure who.
4 Jan 2008, 07:27 am
I’m looking forward to reading it in mid feb when it finally arrives in Sweden.
4 Jan 2008, 07:49 am
Natural choice. Just hope his game doesn’t suffer from it. A good player isn’t necessarily a good leader, but he is very experienced and the other players look up to him.
I agree with cyberscamp (6) though: Once the Bulls start losing (and they will with Ludeke there), du Preez might be accused of being a bad captain.
4 Jan 2008, 10:08 am
To be fair the Bulls could only choose between Fourie and Wikus. Kuun has been shown up and is unlikely to start as first choice hooker.
Fourie is an exceptional player and leader, he may even become the next Bok captain.
4 Jan 2008, 10:19 am
i’m quite happy about this, fdp is a great rugby talent, and an exceptional tactical player..
4 Jan 2008, 10:51 am
Post match interviews will be fun. From what I understand FdP does not speak much English.
4 Jan 2008, 10:58 am
Hmm, I wonder now. How good was that Argentinean captain’s English? Or the French captain’s?
Why should Du Preez’s English be required to be any better?
4 Jan 2008, 11:11 am
The Argentinean Captain has played much of his club rugby in England so his English is not too bad.
4 Jan 2008, 11:20 am
Has anyone ever heard FdP speak English?
4 Jan 2008, 11:59 am
I think the defending chimps are in for a tough Super 14 this year. My money is on the Bulls pulling in somewhere between 6th – 8th at the end of the Super 14. A rather credible effort, considering past Super 12/14 performances.
4 Jan 2008, 12:56 pm
For the record, both of the Argentinian and French captains speak perfectly respectable English.
4 Jan 2008, 15:28 pm
& engish is the international language.
Comes with the territory of being an international player & captain.
4 Jan 2008, 22:41 pm
If Victor was at times too laid back, Fourie is waay too intense to make a captain who can handle the bad calls along with the good. Van Heerden is a good choice – he was great as a captain when the Lions were still losing more than winning.
5 Jan 2008, 18:47 pm
Out wide en wooden spoon
My bliksem maar julle kan baie kak praat!
6 Jan 2008, 15:22 pm
OOOOH, I can’t wait for the super 14!!
6 Jan 2008, 22:06 pm
Fourie is a world class player and i dont doubt his leadership abilities but i dont think bulls will have a good season
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