Marcell Coetzee Bulls flank Marcell Coetzee is playing the best rugby of his career ahead of his 34th birthday. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
Watching him charge into the opposition, you would think that there’s little that scares Marcell Coetzee.
But a bout of concussion that took him longer to recover from than usual this year has given the Bulls loose forward a fresh perspective on his career.
He turns 34 in early May, but the way he has been playing since returning to the pitch makes him appear 10 years younger.
The Springbok talk won’t go away either, although Coetzee earned the last of his 31 Test caps in 2022 already.
His outstanding form, perhaps the best of his career, certainly warrants another look from Bok boss Rassie Erasmus – especially following Deon Fourie’s season-ending broken leg sustained last weekend.
Coetzee set a new Bulls URC record 31 tackles in the tense 16-13 victory over Munster in Limerick last Saturday, as well as nine carries and his team’s only try.
He was also the Player of the Match – a second such award following his outstanding performance at No 8 in the Challenge Cup win over Bayonne a few weeks ago.
“I think with the last concussion that I received, it was a tough one to take,” Coetzee said from Scotland this week ahead of Friday’s showdown against Glasgow Warriors (8.35pm kick-off).
“The symptoms lasted longer than we anticipated, and it kind of gave me a scare, you know – how quickly this game can be taken away from you.
“So, I think that made you humble in a sense, and to appreciate every minute you get with the boys and in game-time as well.
“So, I think I just transferred all that energy towards enjoyment, and just fulfilling my service for the team.
“Look, it’s a great journey we’ve been on so far, but hopefully we can close it now this Friday.
“But I must say the tour in essence was really special, and it’s just a big appreciation again for the game.”
Coetzee will hope to lead the onslaught for the Bulls once more in their 2024 final grudge clash against Glasgow.
What will make it tougher than usual at Scotstoun Stadium, though, is the fact that it’s the fourth match on tour for Jake White’s team.
But the Pretoria side will have a bye next week, and have seven out of 13 away matches across all competitions this season.
Their biggest challenge will be to counter the Scottish defending champions’ quick style of play on the 4G pitch, where Coetzee and star No 8 Cameron Hanekom will need to contest the breakdowns with serious intent.
“I think the battle of the collisions will be big. If you can manage to stop that first contact, it’ll have an effect on the next phase,” the former Sharks and Ulster stalwart said.
“Then we can pick our steals, where we feel they are exposed. They are a very wide to wide side as well.
“It’s not just a team that’s set-piece driven. They’ve got a lot of mini-moves.
“It’s a tough team to analyse, but I think the biggest thing is to dominate the collisions because that will have a ripple effect.
“I think in the times we played them in the past year, they start off very well. They play a high-tempo game. They’ve got a great attacking set-piece going for them.
“We have to be awake and smart, and I think it’s going to come down to who wants it most and who executes the plan better on the day.
“We are human beings and we know we are almost at home, and our families are also becoming excited.
“But before we can spend too much emotion and energy on that, we must focus on this match.
“Like the coach (White) said, we have been waiting long for this one. It’s going to be a good challenge.
“Glasgow, especially at home, know how to grind out matches, so we must be mentally ready for that – bring the same intensity and energy that we brought against Munster.
“The big thing is just to give everything now. We have a week off after this.
“We know the reward that awaits us. There’s a chance maybe then for a home quarter-final, so I think the reward outweighs that.”
