Bulls poach Lion King
24 Sep 2006
Wikus van Heerden has signed a contract with the Blue Bulls.
An emotional Van Heerden hinted at the move after the Lions’ victory against Western Province on Saturday. While he wouldn’t give SuperSport’s Joel Stransky any details, it was later revealed that he’d told his team-mates about his impending departure before the game.
In a sense, Van Heerden is returning to his roots. He was born in Johannesburg, but went to Hoerskool Waterkloof near Pretoria, and played Craven Week for Northern Transvaal. However, he has spent the last nine seasons with the Lions, and captained them for the last three. His only stint away from the union was in 2002 when he was drafted to the Bulls’ Super 12 side.
Similarly, Wikus’s Springbok father, Moaner, was born and educated in Pretoria, played for Northern Transvaal, went to Transvaal for three seasons and then back to Northern Transvaal for another two seasons, playing 77 times for Northerns in all.
According to Rapport rugby writer Rudolph Lake, the Golden Lions made Van Heerden a “big counter-offer” to stay in Johannesburg, which he rejected.
127 Comments
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25 Sep 2006, 14:19 pm
Bullsfan
Pse refer #94. U made a statement there. Now prove it!!
25 Sep 2006, 14:34 pm
What are you all trying to proof? Bulls can keep their players and all the other teams can’t. It’s a fact that the bulls don’t pay their players as much as the other big unions, except vrystaat. This shows that the bulls have the best management. Wickus goes to the bulls because of the opportunity to play in the super 14, not because of money. Bakkies probably got half the contract the sharks offered him and he signed for 5 years at the bulls. It’s a professional era and the team with the best management will come out at the top.
25 Sep 2006, 15:48 pm
blou masjien
Are you trying to say that the Bulls management is tops?
25 Sep 2006, 16:02 pm
Proof me wrong pieterman! Did you see how much the sharks offered our best talent.
25 Sep 2006, 16:41 pm
(89) Katsesnor
Just another way the Spears are buggering up SA Rugby.
25 Sep 2006, 16:43 pm
ek wil net graag vir Andre Wp, stomers, dawn en al die anner useless wp ondersteuners se: Check die log
25 Sep 2006, 16:47 pm
Dom donder. Die bulls het die beste groep loosies in die land: Wanenburg,Cronje,Spies,Loberts,Brosnihan etc. Wikus gaan op die blerrie bench sit todat sy gat virlep. When the Lions where the wooden spooners he stuck with them now that they are becoming a team to reckon with he is going. He could have gone to Province, Sharks or cheetahs who have less good loosies. Hy is regtig a dom bliksem!!
25 Sep 2006, 16:53 pm
The southern spears are going to be a huge imberesment. I can tell you this much, they will be taking the wooden spoon from the Western Force by force. Theirs wont just be a wooden spoon, it will be a wooden spoon with **** on it! None of the spears players could make any of the other Super 12 or 14 franchises now they want to come with alot of shitheads who cant even make a proper CC team and think they can achive anything!!!
25 Sep 2006, 19:32 pm
Would the Bulls have offered him a contract if the Lions were still losing? I DON”T THINK SO
26 Sep 2006, 02:44 am
Everyone buys players but HM buys a team andd look at his results 4 cc finals in a row 3 wins, 2 s14 semis.
Our next buy would probably be Loffie Ellof
26 Sep 2006, 07:35 am
NEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
26 Sep 2006, 08:00 am
FINALLY!!
26 Sep 2006, 08:06 am
My SA Squad
15.) JP Pietersen/Percy Montgomery
14.) Breyton Paulse/Akona Ndungane
13.) Jacque Fourie/Marius Joubert
12.) Jean de Villiers/Wynand Olivier
11.) Bryan Habana/Brent Russel
10.) Andre Pretorius/Willem de Waal
9.) Ruan Pienaar/Fourie du Preez
8.) AJ Venter/Robbie Diack
7.) Pierre Spies/Juan Smith
6.) Luke Watson/Schalk Burger
5.) Victor Matfield/Johan Muller
4.) Bakkies Botha/Danie Rossouw
3.) CJ van der Linde/BJ Botha
2.) John Smit/Gary Botha
1.) Os du Randt/Deon Carstens
26 Sep 2006, 08:12 am
Moer vir Marius weg en ruil vir Luke en Schalk om, dan sal ek amper saamstem…
26 Sep 2006, 08:39 am
Weet nie of die rerig so goeie koop is nie, bulle het reeds vir P3, spies, kuun, looberts, brosnihan, wasserman, dlulane en dan youngsters soos verster, stegman, arlow en woest
26 Sep 2006, 08:48 am
As a Lions supporter I’m very sad.
Good luck to you Wikus, we will miss you.
Mmmmmm .. wonder if the bulls have now bought themselves a captain, they have never been abel to replace Leonard with there own players.
26 Sep 2006, 08:52 am
Possible new Lions Captains -
A Pretorious
Jaco Pretorious
Earnest Jouber
26 Sep 2006, 09:04 am
@117, propably Jaco P. He captained the SA 7′s
26 Sep 2006, 09:18 am
Shos
Wikus gan mar sukkel om span te kry dink ek. Ek dink hys n baie goeie ou, mar weet nie of hy goed genoeg is nie. Ek geniet die jong bulle. Mar ek dink hy sal baie help in die CC volgende jaar, as ouens soos spies/ p3 ens world cup toe gan.
Paws
I think gary has been doing a good job the last 2 weeks, hopefully they keep him there, because frikkie is the kakkest cappie ive ever seen.
The bulls dont have to buy captains. Just remember leonard grew into a good captain, he struggled in the beginning. The problem is the bulls lost him and their vice captain(ettiene botha) last year. in time vic and gary would make very good captains i reckon.
26 Sep 2006, 09:26 am
Agreed yoda .. but think that the captancy issue must have come up.
Will be interesting to see. I wish him well, have always liked his 110% attitude on the field. The Lions will miss him, but they have some great players comming up.
26 Sep 2006, 09:29 am
Yoda, Ek persoonlik dink nie Vic was so ‘n swak kaptein soos almal sê hy is nie. dalk meer ‘n geval van Leonard was beter as wat hy krediet voor gekry het.
ek dink Gary gaan ontwikkel in ‘n baie goeie kaptein.
stem saam met jou oor frikkie. Kyk maar net na die moerse verskil in die bulle se disipline vandat hy uit is, ek hoop rerig nie die bulle kies hom weer nie.
26 Sep 2006, 09:45 am
Cheers Wickus. Thanks for everything! You rock boy, the Lions will miss you.
26 Sep 2006, 11:36 am
Very Sad, good luck Wicus. You have one more job to do though…
Lions to win the CC!!!
I’m almost certain that Wicus will be made captain at the Bulls. I really thought that the Bulls battled without a really good captain this year.
This Aquisition is more about the captaincy than the player.
26 Sep 2006, 13:52 pm
So much for the Bulls development
26 Sep 2006, 14:38 pm
Rugby student,
Your team lack a real reliable fullback. And please man MJ and Monty .??? belong to an era that is past.
JP Peterson has been terribly exposed lately, unless he can start using his feet to find good touch his not going to make it. I also think Jannie du Pesis and Jaco Engels should be considered for higher laurels soon.
26 Sep 2006, 14:42 pm
To all the Leeumanne,
Man you lost a great player and you really made a bad swop in Cronje for Wikus. However you really got some excellent players comming through and you have the best coach in the country.
I have to admit Lions are not going to be beaten easily again in the next couple of years unless they again loose the likes of van Heerden.
27 Sep 2006, 02:27 am
What is up with Lions Management? Their inability to keep their top players is alarming.This just takes the cake!Loss if Wickus will be deeply felt as he inspirational in his leadership.Lions also let go the very impressive Gerhard Vosloo after the S14,Have dispatched springbok Julies back to Boland,loss of Dewey Swartbooi back to Boland didnt give a chance to play by the way(was in Jake SA u21 2002)and Jantjes(WP).But they still persist with Doppies,Baywatch,van Hoesslin,Esterhuiyzen(shockin since he came back from Europe),Hurter(Must Retire).Loss of Kockott to the Sharks as well.Watch them lose Jean Deysel the promising powerhouse u21 No.8….they are useless(management).Keep Loffie on in S14,Ludeke is Shocking as Coach
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