Bulls director of rugby Jake White has given rookie fly-half Keagan Johannes a vote of confidence ahead of his side’s United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final against the Sharks in Pretoria on Saturday.
The two heavyweights of the South African game are set to face off in their eagerly anticipated play-off encounter at Loftus Versfeld and there will be plenty of pressure on Johannes, who is primarily a scrum-half.
Filled in for Johan Goosen
The 25-year-old has been on the fringes of the Bulls squad as a back-up number nine in recent seasons but also illustrated his utility value during the season as he filled in at fly-half after first choice number 10 Johan Goosen missed several matches due to injuries.
This past Saturday, Johannes was the Bulls’ starting fly-half in their URC quarter-final against Edinburgh in Pretoria and despite a nervy start – where he missed some shots at goal – he soon gained his composure as he finished with a 17-point contribution courtesy of a well-taken try, three conversions and two penalties as White‘s troops clinched a 42-33 victory.
“At half-time I said (to Johannes) don’t be scared to keep kicking at poles,” said White. “I told him to not give the tee to anyone else.
“I said he must back himself, I said that he’d kicked so well for us all year, and that we’re not going to win or lose this game because he missed a kick.
Jake White on how ‘choice words’ did the trick for Bulls against Edinburgh
‘How many 10s in this competition can do that?’
“Let’s be fair, he’s an unknown fly-half playing for us, but (on Saturday) I thought he was as good as anyone playing for us. That break and dummy and run to score… how many 10s in this competition can do that?
“Obviously I’m very happy he backed himself in the second half, we needed that, we needed the big players to stand up. You need guys in your team who can stand up and play under pressure.”
With the competition now well and truly at its business end, Johannes is expected to continue pulling the strings as the Bulls’ chief playmaker against the Sharks this weekend.
“I’ve told the guys that if they think they’re good enough to win the competition then they have to beat whoever comes next week to get to the final,” said White.
“We’ve lost twice to the Sharks this year, so we will have to play our best. Whatever has happened earlier (and today against Edinburgh) though is irrelevant.
“We will reboot to make sure we get the next result. We’ve got two games left,” added the Bulls boss, determined to win the trophy, after falling short to Glasgow Warriors in the final at Loftus last season.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/jake-white-backs-unknown-fly-half-to-shine-for-bulls-in-urc-semi-final-against-sharks
