Bulls quintet to play in Japan
2015-05-04 06:46
Cape Town - Five Bulls stalwarts are set to
play their rugby in Japan from next year.
According to Netwerk24, Pierre Spies,
Francois Hougaard, JJ Engelbrecht, Akona Ndungane and Deon Stegmann will all
join Japanese clubs at the end of the season.
Spies and Hougaard have reportedly received
lucrative offers out of Japan that would be hard to turn down.
Bulls high performance manager, Xander
Janse van Rensburg, confirmed that Spies and Hougaard’s contracts expire at the
end of the season.
Janse van Rensburg said no new contracts
have been signed but they would like to retain the services of the players.
However, according to a reliable source,
it’s “almost a foregone conclusion” that the quintet will head for Japan.
The type of contracts, and whether they
will be allowed to return to play Super Rugby, remains uncertain at this stage.
At present, players like Heinrich Brussow,
Johann Sadie (both Cheetahs), Schalk Burger (Stormers) and JP Pietersen
(Sharks) play their rugby in Japan but are allowed to return for Super Rugby.