After making a notable debut for the Springboks, hooker Johan Grobbelaar is now channelling his energies into the United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign with the Bulls.
The 26-year-old relished his time with the national side, having contributed to their success this season. With two caps under his belt, Grobbelaar is keenly aware that sustained excellence at the Bulls is paramount for continued national selection.
During an online media conference yesterday, he shared his thrilling experience within the Springbok camp, describing it as both enriching and humbling.
“It was an amazing experience spending time with the Springboks and I was privileged enough to get two caps this year and I am very happy about that,” he remarked.
The hooker also expressed pride in being part of the squad that won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019, labelling it as a "box ticked" in his career milestones. However, his focus has swiftly shifted back to the Bulls and the URC since last week when he joined up with the team.
Grobbelaar emphasised that while the national coaches, including head coach Rassie Erasmus, will be monitoring the URC performances of some Bok fringe players, his primary focus remains on delivering week-in and week-out for the Bulls should he be selected to play.
“If your team does well, you automatically look good. There won't be too much pressure thinking about the national team; at this stage all the focus will be on the Bulls.
“There is great competition here (at the Bulls) and that is what we want. That depth in all positions. We push each other and are great friends on and off the field. I learn plenty from Akker (van der Merwe), Jan-Hendrik (Wessels), Joe (van Zyl) and all the younger hookers here.”
Reflecting on the Bulls’ recent narrow victory against Edinburgh, where they triumphed 22-16, Grobbelaar acknowledged areas needing improvement particularly in terms of discipline and their scrum performance.
Despite the win, the team also left several scoring opportunities on the field.
As they prepare for a challenging fixture against Ulster this Saturday at Loftus Versfeld, it will be crucial for the Bulls to hold onto their winning momentum before embarking on a four-game European tour.
“I don't think it's major problems, but things we can fix easily,” he said about where they went astray.
“It is just a few technical things we will get right this weekend. Silly things like a player not rolling (at the breakdown), high shots (tackles), offside lines, those are things we can control. We have worked on it this week and we will look to be better this Saturday.”