A new breed of bull: Warrick Gelant has welcomed the running game of Nollis Marais' Bulls, which complements his Sevens skill-set rather nicely. A new breed of bull: Warrick Gelant has welcomed the running game of Nollis Marais' Bulls, which complements his Sevens skill-set rather nicely.
John Goliath
up-and-coming fullback Warrick Gelant showcased his full repertoire of skills during this year’s Currie Cup.
Gelant’s spectacular offloads, tries and balance when in full flight for the Blue Bulls has made him one of the most exciting prospects in South African rugby. In fact, the 20-year-old was one of the catalysts for the Bulls as they recorded one of their best Currie Cup campaigns of the last few years.
But Gelant would probably not have had a platform to strut his stuff if it wasn’t for new Bulls coach Nollis Marais’ decision to play an all-encompassing game plan.
The Pretoria side have always been known for their direct approach, with a powerful and an uncompromising pack of forwards laying the platform for a flyhalf with a big boot. But it’s a recipe that has seen them go backwards in the Currie Cup after dominating the competition in the first decade of the new millennium.
This year, the Bulls finished second in the doemtic tournament’s standings after playing some impressive rugby.
“I must give credit to our coach. He is the one who came up with the brand of rugby we played,” Gelant said.
“We as players benefitted from that, because that is the type of rugby we play and wanted to play. We based our game on a running-type game, and the players also adapted well in the system.
“The coach realised what type of players he had in the system. We have centres like a Burger Odendaal and a Dries Swanepoel, guys who want to run the ball. I think that was the breakthrough for us.”
Gelant is now back with the South African Sevens team, where he developed his natural gift to run rings around opposition defenders.
He just has a touch of class about him, the way he runs and his feel for the game.
Next year, Gelant will have to juggle his Super Rugby responsibilities for the Bulls with fighting for a spot in the SA Sevens squad for next year’s Rio Olympic Games. However, the youngster isn’t really fazed by the pressure.
“I’m very excited to be back, a few years back this is actually where I started my rugby, and my skill-set developed here,” Gelant said this week at the Blitzboks’ base at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.
“We are going to be here in the Sevens system and we are going away to our unions. So either way, we have to put in the work wherever we are.
“Saru is working close to the unions for us to be able to go to Rio. When we go back to our unions, the focus must be just as high as it is in the Sevens.”
Gelant, and indeed most of the other Sevens specialists, will have a lot of competition from several accomplished 15-man stars in the lead up to the Olympics.
However, while Gelant will be under pressure to hold off a few established Springboks, he says those players will also have to lean on the Sevens imcumbents for a few tips over the next eight months.
“We really have the top players here in the system. Guys like Bryan Habana and Damian de Allende are coming from the World Cup, and for youngsters such as myself it’s great to feed off that experience,” Gelant said.
“However, they also need to learn, because Sevens is a different experience. The culture of the Sevens is what makes this a great environment for everyone to be in.
“In Sevens, everything is one-on-one. The attack is one-on-one and the defence is one-on-one. You have to make decisions really quickly because you don’t have a lot of time to do so.
“When you go back to 15s, who are also going to be more conditioned, you are going to make decisions under pressure when you are there.
“So everybody will benefit from the Sevens.”