{
  "id": 19166882,
  "title": "Former captain Ruan Nortjé hopes Bulls can go all the way this year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/former-captain-ruan-nortje-hopes-bulls-can-go-all-the-way-this-year",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T15:01:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/rugby/former-captain-ruan-nortje-bulls-urc/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Bulls captain Ruan Nortjé, who departed the union in June, maintains his lifelong connection to the team and has been closely following their current campaign, hoping they can achieve success this year. Nortjé, a Springbok lock, played for the Bulls for eight years, beginning in 2018, before joining Kubota Spears in Japan. During his tenure, he participated in all four United Rugby Championship (URC) finals the Bulls contested since South African teams joined the tournament five seasons ago. The 28-year-old previously discussed the emotional toll of the team's defeats but emphasized the importance of moving forward and not letting past losses hinder their progress. In last year's URC final, Nortjé's try was disallowed due to a previous knock-on, resulting in a 36-7 loss. Now, as a former player, Nortjé remains a devoted Bulls supporter, watching games whenever possible. He fondly recalls the friendships he formed over the nine to ten years he spent with the team and stays in touch with many of his former teammates. Nortjé feels the Bulls have started the season strongly, led by his former touring roommate, Marcell Coetzee. The Pretoria union currently sits second in the URC standings after victories against Zebre, Lions, Ulster, and Scarlets, with only a narrow loss to Munster. They also triumphed in their opening Champions Cup match 56-20 against Stade Français at Loftus, where they had lost both home games last year. The Bulls are currently on a four-game winning streak, positioning themselves as strong contenders in both the URC and Champions Cup. Nortjé expressed optimism about the season and voiced his hope that this may be the year the Bulls can clinch the URC final, to which he will offer unwavering support.",
  "summary": "The Springbok lock says he wants the Bulls to succeed in the URC, following his move to Japan after almost 10 years at the union.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former Bulls captain Ruan Nortjé hopes Bulls can go all the way this year.",
    "Nortjé, a Springbok lock, played for Bulls for eight years, joining in 2018.",
    "Bulls are currently on four-game winning streak, strong contenders in URC and Champions Cup."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}