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Pretoria - The Blue Bulls have lost two more players, with youngster Cornell Hess and Ruan Snyman deciding to leave the union for Griqualand West next season.
According to the supersport.com website, both moves were confirmed by Griquas CEO Arni van Rooyen to Die Volksblad and is a direct reaction to the four players the Bulls signed from the Kings.
While the Pretoria union are still languishing from the loss of no less than eight Springboks after Super Rugby, and a number of other players, they did manage to sign the quartet of Bandise Maku, David Bulbring, Waylon Murray and Jacques Engelbrecht from the Kings for the Currie Cup season and next year’s Super Rugby.
The Bulls also signed Springbok Piet van Zyl from the Cheetahs as a replacement for the loss of Jano Vermaak, who joined Chiliboy Ralepelle at Toulouse for the next few years.
It isn’t a surprise that Snyman, who has been rotating with Rudy Paige at scrumhalf in this year’s Absa Currie Cup season, has decided on a new home, especially with Van Zyl and Francois Hougaard still at the union.
Hess has struggled to break through since he suffered a serious neck injury two seasons ago. While he recovered, the former SA under-20 lock has watched as the Bulls have signed Grant Hattingh and Bulbring ahead of him, while not giving him the opportunities to prove himself.
With SA under-20 lock and Tuks captain Marvin Orie also likely to bypass him at Loftus, it is understandable that Hess would make the move to a union where he will get more game time.
Griquas also announced they had signed former Bulls scrumhalf Dustin Jinka, who has been playing Club rugby in Cape Town in the past few seasons and added Leopards winger Danie Dames and Boland’s Jonathan Francke and Jacquin Jansen to their ranks for 2014.
The union also acquired Tuks tighthead Stephan Pretorius and Sharks SA under-20 loosehead Nicolaas van Dyk, EP Kings midfielder Wayne Stevens, Puma lock Boela Serfontein (brother of Springbok Jan) and Boland halfback Ntando Kebe.
Griquas have lost Springboks Willie le Roux (Free State), Lourens Adriaanse (Sharks) and regulars Justin Downey and Edwin Hewitt (both Sharks) over the season.
