Bulls lure Potgieter away from Sharks

Potgieter signed with the Sharks late last season and was set to play a big role at the Union this season.

The Springbok moved to Durban after a two-year stint at the Waratahs. The time spent in Australia saw the burly loose forward refine his playing style away from one-dimensional bulldozing and he became an integral part of the Sydney outfit’s squad. For that very reason, a lot of people were excited about his move to the Sharks. 

Potgieter worked through the junior ranks in Durban before he was snapped up by the Bulls and spent three years in Pretoria.

During that period, he was capped by the Springboks three times and made a name for himself as a hard, direct ball-carrier and ferocious tackler.

At the end of the 2015, having lost the likes Bismarck du Plessis and Willem Alberts, the Sharks desperately needed some beef in their pack and Potgieter was set to fill that role.

But as luck would have it, Potgieter hasn't played a single minute for the Sharks this season. The flank was laid low by an ankle injury and has spent the whole year recovering from surgery.

With his rehabilitation still underway, the Bulls pulled off a bit of a coup by luring Potgieter back to Loftus Versveld.

The Sharks confirmed his departure yesterday, with CEO John Smit citing personal reasons as the main factor behind his move.

“Injuries have unfortunately curtailed Jacques’ Super Rugby endeavours in 2016, which has prevented him from featuring for the Cell C Sharks. This move to Gauteng will provide greater opportunities for him and his fiancée, who are set to tie the knot shortly,” Smit said.

“We would like to take this opportunity to wish Jacques the very best for this new chapter he is pursuing.”

While the situation seems amicable, it is hard to imagine that there isn’t a bit of resentment. The Sharks have poured time, money and effort in bringing Potgieter back to fitness and he has pulled a fast one without adding to their campaign.

Fortunately the Sharks are blessed with depth this season and they’ve been fairly lucky on the injury front. The competition for places between the Du Preez twins, Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Tera Mtembu, Philip van der Walt and Francois Kleinhans means every one of those players has to give their best to be selected every weekend.

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