Cape Town – A chance to work with his old mentor Jake White was just too good to refuse for Sbu Nkosi, who was officially unveiled as a Bulls player at Loftus Versfeld on Thursday.
Nkosi has signed a three-year deal up to 2025, and will move to Pretoria from the Sharks on July 1.
The 26-year-old Springbok wing paid tribute to the Durban outfit for developing him into a top-class professional, but now he has some unfinished business with White.
Nkosi has missed most of the current United Rugby Championship season due to injury and illness, and is not yet sure about when exactly he will be back on the pitch.
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But he is excited to make a fresh start in the capital city.
“Before we get to Pretoria, I wanted to start in Durban and just say a very heartfelt thank you to the Sharks. They are the reason why my career has gone the way it’s gone. They have developed me and put a lot in me, and nurtured me more than anything, and taught me how to be a man. So, I just wanted to start with that and say thank you to the Sharks,” Nkosi started on Thursday.
“Secondly, I’m massively excited to join the Bulls here in Pretoria. I think there’s a good thing going on here… The squad has a good mix and the union is at a place where they are able to recruit great talent. I am happy to be here and contribute and commit myself to everything that is going to make this franchise successful.
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“It’s just a huge change. Excited to come to the Bulls. Obviously I had a conversation with Jake some time ago, and he and I are aligned on certain values, and that is a big motivating factor in me making the decision to come over.”
Having attended White’s old rugby school Jeppe, he is keen to finally work with the former Bok coach.
“In all honesty, me and Jake have some sort of relationship dating back to when I was in high school, and he was the Sharks coach – he was actually the coach who signed me to join the Sharks (from the Lions in 2014),” Nkosi said.
“He left and had his stint overseas, but to put it simply, the full circle event and the relationship that I have with Jake… His work, and me wanting to be part of that and wanting to grow and dig into his brain a little bit was probably the biggest motivating factor.”
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