Bulls lose another young star due to exchange rate
One of the young stars of the Bulls, who had been earmarked as a key player in the team’s future plans, is lost to Frans Ludeke and his management due to the big money he can earn in France.
A huge setback has hit the Bulls when it was announced that the promising young lock, Paul Willemse, would leave the union at the end of the current season.
Willemse is on his way to the Top 14 club, Grenoble, in France. The 22-year-old player will join Grenoble on a two-year deal after the Currie Cup season.
According to the high performance manager of the Bulls, Xander Janse van Rensburg, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to players and to compete with overseas clubs.
“We tried our utmost to retain the services of Paul. It is however very concerning that we are losing players at a younger age to the overseas market,” he commented.
“In Paul’s case, we are talking about a lucrative offer and one that is hard to refuse. We certainly cannot blame Paul for accepting such a lucrative offer, and even if we wanted to, we could not match it as this is one of the biggest offers I have seen for a player of his age.”
Willemse plans to return to South Africa in two years’ time to make a bid for the Springboks jersey and could well be back in the Bulls colours.
“Paul feels that he is not currently in the mix for Springbok selection and have a number of locks ahead of him in the line-up. He wants to add a different element to his game by playing in the French Top 14. Game time in France will see him improve as a player and we can reap the benefits of that upon his return” said Janse van Rensburg.
