Bulls captain Ruan Nortje is a leader of men

Bulls captain Ruan Nortje is at the forefront of everything good about the Bulls. He is the best lock in South Africa and the form Springboks lock.

Bulls

The Bulls won their ninth match in the last 10 played in this season’s United Rugby Championship to qualify in fourth for the play-offs.

Nortje, in the 45-19 win against Benetton in Pretoria, was as influential as he has been all season in the Bulls comeback from a team that at one stage was three from eight in the league and staggering towards a top eight elimination.

Nortje, who is touching a 100 appearances for the Bulls, will play his club rugby in Japan next season. For now, he is integral to the Bulls URC title aspirations and he is comfortably the best lock in South Africa and the Springboks.

The Bulls scored 99 match points in their last two home games against Italian opposition and, for all the indifference at times in both those matches, Nortje is the one consistent point of difference.

Nortje was outstanding for the Springboks in 2025 and finished the year as the starting No 5 lock against Wales in Cardiff. The Boks won 73-0 and a week later Nortje was as committed wearing the Bulls jersey in the Investec Champions Cup opener against Bordeaux.

The phrase ‘unsung heroes’ is too comfortably used, but Nortje is cut from that precious cloth of player who just gets on with it and does it in the most effective way.

Nortje is a standout No 5 lock, but he has proved as capable playing No 7 flanker for the Bulls. It is a position he may play for the Boks in the next season, given Boks coach Rassie Erasmus’s appetite for versatility among his players.

The Bulls, who will host a URC quarter-final in the next fortnight, are the form South African team. Their big-gun Boks are firing and players like Cameron Hanekom, back from a year out with injury, are timing their peak to perfection.

Double World Cup winner Handre Pollard has had presence in the No 10 jersey, scrumhalf Embrose Papier is playing his best rugby, Willie le Roux, who played his 400th professional match in Round 18 of the URC, is critical to the Bulls back three potency, and the wingers and pack are as good as any in the competition.

Then there is the midfield, with veteran Harold Vorster and 23 year-old Canan Moodie, a strong combination and Steadman Gans equally capable of magical moments.

When I look at the Bulls, Stormers and Lions, South Africa’s three play-off contenders, the Bulls are the most balanced and met favourites to advance beyond the semi-finals.

The Lions have done well to get to the play-offs and the Stormers, having done all the early season work to finish the league season in top spot, are the most vulnerable.

The Stormers, eight wins from eight to start the season, won just four of their last 10 matches to finish third.

They will host a quarter-final and they will win it.

But their failure to deliver the big moments in the big matches in the back stage of the league, has been too present to think of them as title winners.

Not so the Bulls, who have played in three of the four URC finals.

URC 2025/26 log