Embrose Papier is back on the Springbok radar after Rassie Erasmus made personal contact with the Bulls scrum-half following a standout 2025/26 campaign, Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has confirmed.
Ackermann revealed the communication on Friday ahead of the Bulls' URC clash with Zebre Parma at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, where Papier is named among the replacements. Should he take the field, his 170th appearance for the Bulls will move him past Joost van der Westhuizen as the franchise's most-capped number nine.
"There hasn't been another camp, but they have made contact with him so I'm sure they're keeping an eye on him," Ackermann said. "They've chatted to him about some of the things he needs to improve on. That's good news for us because it means they're looking at him, but nothing is for certain."
Papier, 29, last wore green and gold in 2018 — the year Erasmus took charge — and has since been locked out by a deep pool of Springbok nines. The current injury toll on Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse has sharpened the focus on his form at just the right time.
That form has been difficult to ignore. Papier has claimed five man-of-the-match awards in the current campaign and scored nine tries across the URC and Champions Cup — two behind Stormers number eight Evan Roos, who leads the URC's try-scoring charts after 16 rounds. He also ranks among the competition's leaders in several attacking metrics.
"The outstanding factors for me are his support play and his speed," Ackermann said. "The fact that he's in such good form for us is great, because that was in many matches the deciding factor."