Simelane looking to put Bulls woes behind him at the Stormers

Wandisile Simelane’s exciting move to the Stormers will be aimed at resurrecting his career and putting to an end what has been a frustrating tenure at the Bulls.

When the talented midfielder moved from the Lions to their Pretoria rivals in 2022, it seemed like a match made in heaven, but their union never worked out. The move was supposed to help Simelane grow as a player and knock down the Springbok door.

Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, was delighted to have a talented player like Simelane at his disposal but he never got the best out of him. White played him at wing and fullback instead of his preferred position, outside centre.

This was rather puzzling from the outside because it was clear it was frustrating for Simelane.

Some of his best games would be at No 13 but he never got a consistent run in the side; after a good showing at 13, he would be moved to the outside back positions or disappear from the team.

Frustration

This was something that left Simelane frustrated because he could never kick on. He opened up about his frustrations during an engagement with the media last year.

“It’s as frustrating for me as anyone. As athletes we are all competitive creatures, I’m competitive as well, and I always want to play at the highest level,” Simelane said.

“I know for a fact I’m not where I want to be in terms of my form, and the things I want to achieve on the field. As frustrating as it is, I have no one to blame but myself. I just have to carry on working hard in the sense of putting in the hard work at training and giving it my all.

With Stedman Gans and Canan Moodie the preferred options at No 13 this season, it spelt an end to his time at the franchise. To save his career, Simelane needed to move.

John Dobson magic

At the Stormers, he’ll work under John Dobson, who has shown with his management of flyhalf Manie Libbok what he can do with rejected talent. Dobson is the right mentor for Simelane at this point in his career.

“Wandisile is an incredibly talented player who is looking for a new start and we are happy to give him the opportunity to grow here where he will be competing with some top players already in our system,” Dobson said.

“We pride ourselves on helping players get their careers on the right trajectory in our environment and we all know the huge potential he has, so hopefully we can help him realise that here,” he said.