While admitting that he is still coming to terms with some of the finer points of playing fly-half for the Bulls, Springboks full-back Willie le Roux is happy with his progress in his new position.
Le Roux initially caught the eye in his new role when he delivered a superb 30-minute second-half cameo during the Bulls’ 35-22 United Rugby Championship (URC) victory over the Lions in Johannesburg last month.
That performance led to the Pretoria-based outfit’s director of rugby, Jake White, springing a surprise when he selected Le Roux to start at fly-half for their next URC match against the Stormers in Cape Town earlier this month.
Contrasting performances against the Stormers and Sharks
Once again, the Springbok delivered the goods in a narrow 33-32 triumph for his side but things went pear-shaped as he struggled in a 29-19 loss against the Sharks in Pretoria.
Despite that setback, White persisted with Le Roux at fly-half and he impressed again in Saturday’s 31-19 win over the Lions in a rescheduled derby in Pretoria.
And ahead of this Saturday’s return encounter with the Stormers in Pretoria, Le Roux believes he still has plenty to learn about being the Bulls‘ chief playmaker.
“I still have to figure out the small adjustments, like calling the plays and getting back into the line on defence. But, I am enjoying it,” the 35-year-old told reporters on Monday.
“You learn something new each week. I still need to get that balance right. At full-back, I had plenty more time to look for space.
“When I’m at fly-half and calling the plays, changing the direction of the attack, one tends to look less at space and sometimes miss chances.
“I can work on that and maybe look up quicker (at 10) to see who is in front of you defending.”
Speaking after that fixture at the weekend, White highlighted how important Le Roux is to the Bulls cause.
“It’s the importance of having Willie there. I just said as long as Willie is on the field, I just feel – especially with all the leaders that have been out, as we’ve just lost so many guys on the field – that we got a sense of how we want to play,” said the former Springboks coach.
‘I should’ve left him on’
“I probably erred last week (against the Sharks) in taking him off too early… I should’ve left him on. He’s been carrying a bit of a niggle, and I was too conservative: I should’ve maybe worry about what happened last week and finish the game.
“I think Willie is good enough to understand when to run it and when to kick it, and that’s what makes it so different for us because when he’s on the field, there’s a little more guidance from him to the other players.”
Their recent victory over the Lions has consolidated the Bulls’ position amongst the frontrunners on the URC table as they are currently in third position – just two points adrift of Glasgow Warriors and six head of their nearest rivals the Sharks.
While another victory over the Stormers, who are languishing in 10th position on the table, will mean the Bulls will take a step closer to securing a home play-off, Le Roux is not underestimating the men from the Cape.
“We know how desperate they will be and it will be a very tough game,” he said.
“We want to focus on what we can do and pitch up mentally.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/willie-le-roux-gives-forthright-verdict-on-his-positional-switch-for-the-bulls
