A few untimely injuries haven’t helped his cause in recent seasons, but it is still a bit strange to see that Marcell Coetzee is not the Bulls captain this year.
The energetic loose forward has been a stalwart for the Pretoria side since his return to South Africa from Ulster in 2021, having been part of their campaigns in reaching two United Rugby Championship finals.
But this season, Ruan Nortjé and Elrigh Louw are the official co-captains, despite being Springbok regulars.
Coetzee has also seen the other loose forwards get more regular game-time than him.
But being the “ultimate Bulls man” that he is, the 33-year-old is determined to make a real difference in his likely opportunity to feature in tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship clash against Benetton in Treviso (8.35pm start).
Coetzee had to watch from the sidelines in Llanelli last week, when the Bulls somehow went down 23-22 to the Scarlets after leading 19-7 at one stage.
They missed his experience and composure in that critical final quarter, when Johan Grobbelaar’s controversial red card – which has since been rescinded – contributed to the Welsh outfit clinching a narrow win.
“It was rather disappointing. This is a union that has a lot of self-pride, and the last 20 minutes were very frustrating,” Coetzee said about the Scarlets result.
“But one thing the defeat taught us is that there were certain aspects that were a bit weak, and that was pointed out over the last few days – and the guys took it on the chin.
“Now we can only grow and build up to the Benetton game.
“It’s not a train smash (to have lost). But we know that such games where you had chances to win could come back to bite you later in the tournament, on the log.
“But the tournament is not a sprint, but a marathon, and we came up one point short.
“The positive that we could take out of it was the things that we didn’t do well, and it can just make us sharper and more prepared as the tournament goes on.
“We’ve just got to pull together and be more accurate in key moments, and still enjoy it.”
Coetzee, who has 31 Bok Test caps, will be keen to prove his worth to coach Jake White at the Stadio di Monigo, where Benetton are hard to beat and are on a two-match winning streak, having beaten the Sharks and Dragons in the last fortnight.
The Italian club are able to vary their play smartly, while the 70% chance of rain forecast for Treviso on Friday night will make the conditions even tougher.
The Bulls, though, know that they need to convert their forward dominance into points, especially in the second half, where they have battled over the last few weeks.
Coetzee could form a lethal loose trio with Louw and star No 8 Cameron Hanekom to counter the excellent Benetton back row of Alessandro Izekor, Michele Lamaro and Lorenzo Cannone.
“They’ve got a strong set-piece game, a good attacking set-up – and their ruck-speed is the quickest in the tournament,” Coetzee said about Benetton.
Postcard from Treviso 🔥🖼️#ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/ja9NtbpX7z
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) October 22, 2024
“So, they are a well-oiled machine and a confident side, and it’s going to be a massive task.
“The biggest danger from them is that they are not just a conservative team – they are an all-round, all-over-the-park team.
“We have to be accurate in our chances and opportunities in the 22 zone. It’s ultimately going to be a battle of the collisions, having played here a couple of times.
“You can’t play a negative on a negative: you must, somewhere, be able to turn it around into a positive. It was a bit difficult in the second half (against the Scarlets), and there was some rain that came down, and then Grobbies’ red card as well.
“There are a lot of factors that play a role, but it’s a case of the guys just staying a bit calmer, go back to what we know well and have a bit better game management.”