Ruan Nortjé will bring down the curtain on a ten-year Bulls career when he faces Leinster in Friday's United Rugby Championship Grand Final at Croke Park. The Springbok lock, who is bound for Japan, hopes to sign off his Loftus Versfeld tenure by lifting silverware in Dublin.
Nortjé's journey with the Vodacom Bulls began with a WhatsApp message during his matric year. Having played at the Under-18 Academy Week, he was sitting in a cinema when the Bulls enquired whether he would be interested in joining the franchise. He rose through the age-grade ranks to captain the senior side and earn Springbok honours.
"For me, and I think all of us in this team, it would be really special to win the trophy for the people of Pretoria," Nortjé said in the build-up to Friday's Croke Park outing. "We know we are up against a quality team like they showed us last season. So for us it's all about having belief and going out and giving everything we've got until the last minute."
The lock held his final training session at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday. "It's very special for me to be able to sign off my time with the Bulls in a Grand Final," he said, adding: "Sometimes you look back and you wonder, how did I get here?"