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With injuries seemingly behind him, and still only 25, Warrick Gelant was poised to be one of the centrepieces of Jake White’s Bulls renaissance but the fullback opted to move to their cross-country rivals, the Stormers.
Gelant walking out on his Bulls contract that was due to expire in July, outside SA Rugby’s prescribed 21-day "transfer window", meant that he wasn’t completely sold on White’s plans for the future of the franchise and the union.
Perhaps having an accomplished and experienced fullback such as Gio Aplon as one of the first signings in the new regime twisted Gelant’s mind, but he would have backed himself to retain his jersey had he stayed in Pretoria.
Instead Gelant opted to move to Cape Town where there was an obvious vacancy in his position following Dillyn Leyds’ departure to western French seaside city La Rochelle.
It meant that COVID-19 impact or no COVID-19 impact, Gelant saw his future outside of Pretoria and he was listening to offers even from the Lions – and highly likely from overseas clubs as well.
His decision was made outside the period where, according to the Industry Strategic Plan, players could simply walk out of their contracts and take up other offers without the parent union being able to compete or counter.
Outside these realms, the Bulls were able to compete with the Stormers for Gelant’s signature and he would have gotten all sorts of reassurances from the new man in charge.
The decision suggests careful, clever and calculated decision-making on Gelant’s part. He didn’t want to be harried by the transfer deadline day drama. Knowing that his contract was expiring in a couple of months anyway, why not sit down and calmly consider all options?
And that is exactly what he did.
When the Bulls announced the move, White said: "It’s sad to see him go and we would have loved to keep him at Loftus, but we fully understand his decision and wish him all of the best with his rugby journey ahead."It was a genuine expression of loss, as much as can be deduced on paper anyway. To lose a player in whom the Bulls had invested so much since he left Outeniqua High School is a massive body blow.For seasons Gelant had shown flashes of the great player he could become, joining the line at speed, playing 15 with the security of an Andre Joubert and the menace of a Jason Robinson. But, frustratingly, he had yet to reach the heights his potential suggested he could reach because of lengthy spells in the infirmary.He came good this season and played the first six Bulls games injury-free and looked on course to make a good go for the Springbok No 15 jersey.Instead of doing so under the tutelage of the World Cup-winning White, he chose Dobson’s own rebuilding project in the Cape.There, he will play in the same backline as exciting fellow Springboks Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies. It’s this prospect, perhaps, more than anything that let him shun a new contract to stay at Loftus for a few more years.It’s also why White’s recruitment drive, which is still going full steam ahead, needs to pay mindful attention to who the players would enjoy playing with.Gelant’s parting words were: "I want to take my game to new heights, and I believe that working with the players and the coaches at the Stormers will help me to do that."
