Nizaam Carr Nizaam Carr says that the Bulls must display the same kind of physicality against Leinster that they dish out against SA teams. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
Nizaam Carr has been one of the stand-out performers for the Bulls in recent months, but he accepts that he might not feature as much now that Cameron Hanekom is set to return from injury.
But the 33-year-old No 8 – who has five Springbok Test caps to his name – knows that he can still add real value in the closing stages of a tight game.
Saturday’s massive United Rugby Championship clash against Irish giants Leinster at Loftus Versfeld (5pm kick-off) is sure to be another hard-fought encounter, and Carr’s experience and leadership may be needed to guide the Bulls home.
Young Bok upstart Hanekom was scheduled to return to training this week from knee and calf issues, and while the Bulls have yet to officially announce his availability this week, he is sure to don the No 8 jersey in Pretoria on Saturday.
But Carr’s steadying presence will be vital to help the Bulls hit back in the URC following their 19-16 defeat to the Stormers on March 1.
“It’s been going really well. You always want to be involved, but that’s not always the case because the Bulls have got some really quality loose forwards,” Carr said on Tuesday.
“They are good lineout options, have a massive work-rate... They can basically do everything on a rugby field.
“For me, whenever I’m needed, I will be there for the team. I don’t mind playing 80 minutes, 50 or 20.
“Even if I come on for just one minute and I get the opportunity to chase one ball down the line, if I can do just one chase and be the best I can be, I will do that for the team.
“I’m available for whatever’s needed. My body feels good and I feel good, physically and mentally.
“I would like to start every game. But that’s not always the case. But if I can make an impact off the bench – which has been my role lately – then I’m more than happy to do that.
“Talent is only going to take you so far, and you need to put in the hard work. These guys are definitely keeping me on my toes, to try and keep up with them.”
Leinster are unbeaten after 12 matches and top the URC log with 57 points, followed by Glasgow on 44 and the Bulls on 41.
So, Jake White’s team have it all to play for on Saturday as they chase Glasgow for second spot – and try to stay in touch with Leinster, who have rested most of their Irish Test stars who were on Six Nations duty last weekend.
But whether it’s a B or C team that travelled to Dublin, the Bulls will know that it won’t be a walkover.
However, they have a good record against coach Leo Cullen’s team – who also have former Springbok boss Jacques Nienaber in their management, as well as towering Bok lock RG Snyman in their ranks.
The Bulls have three wins out of five URC games against Leinster, including semi-finals in 2022 and 2024, and will be confident of pulling off another triumph against a weakened outfit – as they did with a 62-7 Loftus rout in April 2023.
“We will respect whoever they send down to South Africa, and they have guys who played in the Six Nations,” Carr said.
“But on the field, it’s a different story. We need to execute our plans.
“It has been a bit tough lately, coming off that loss against the Stormers, so we want to go out there and make each other and the people of Pretoria proud again.
“We got a few days off just to reset – reset the mind, reset the body and go again.
“But it’s key for us to stick to that mindset of the physicality of the South African derbies. We can definitely carry that over to the Leinster game.
“We want to continue with that – it’s not something that we want to give up on, and just bring it for certain games.
“At the back of our mind, we are third on the table, and putting in a lot of work to rectify that (the Stormers defeat).
“We don’t want to play with that pressure on our shoulders, of needing points to get to the (top of the log).”