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Pretoria - The Vodacom Bulls have secured the services of another Springbok after Wynand Olivier signed a new two year deal with them this week.
Olivier, who was linked with two French clubs and was set to go overseas for the foreseeable future, decided to commit himself to the Bulls until the end of 2013 to help the defending Super Rugby champions through the transition phase when a large number of their senior players leave at the end of this year.
Olivier’s signature comes days after the Bulls secured three other rising stars - Springbok flank Deon Stegmann, wing Gerhard van den Heever and midfielder Stefan Watermeyer.
Olivier said the decision to stay in South Africa was an easy one.
“I was negotiating with clubs in France as well,” he said.
“And while they were good options for me, I feel I am young enough to offer a lot to the Bulls for the next few years. I also wanted to help them next year, when we start a rebuilding phase, to help them kick start that.”
While his current contract only ends at the end of October this year, Olivier said he was happy to sort it out so soon.
“It is early, but I am a person who likes the security and I am glad we put it behind me. When you are in negotiations like this, it hangs over your head and it's actually a relief to have it finalised.”
With that out of the way, Olivier is concentrating on this weekend’s clash with the Lions at Loftus Versfeld, a game he says is a must-win for the defending champs.
“We’ve had a long hard look at ourselves and we want to turn it around,” he explains, “I don’t think the problems are that big, but rather it's a mindset that we have to shift.”
Next year, while a number of younger players are set to replace the Boks, Olivier has a few rising stars as competition. Watermeyer and his fellow former SA under-20 midfielder Stephan Dippenaar will both vie for a midfield place, while highly rated youngster Francois Venter is also likely to make a challenge.
“Competition is never a bad thing, no matter who it is, it keeps you on your toes,” he smiled.
The Bulls will lose senior Springboks Victor Matfield (retiring), Bakkies Botha (France), Danie Rossouw (Japan) and Fourie du Preez (Japan) at the end of the season. It is also likely that Gary Botha and Gurthro Steenkamp, who are currently negotiating with Toulouse in France, will accept the lucrative offers to continue their careers abroad.
