Why Keagan Johannes deserves to start over Johan Goosen for Bulls in Bayonne Challenge Cup playoff

How do you plan for upcoming matches if you don’t know if there will be a fifth one instead of just four?

That is the dilemma facing Bulls director of rugby Jake White as the Pretoria side prepare for Saturday’s Challenge Cup last-16 clash against Bayonne in France (1.30pm start).

The Bulls arrived in Biarritz in drips and drabs on Monday and Tuesday, and will only really start their training on Wednesday after the long travel from South Africa.

But apart from Saturday’s Bayonne playoff, the Bulls also have two United Rugby Championship games coming up: against Munster on April 19 in Limerick, and Glasgow on April 25.

What their immediate travel plans look like will be determined by another Challenge Cup knockout, between the Lions and Edinburgh in Scotland on Friday night.

If the Bulls beat Bayonne and the Lions beat Edinburgh, the victors will square off in a Loftus Versfeld quarter-final on April 12.

But if Edinburgh emerge victorious, the Bulls will remain up north and travel to Scotland for the quarter-final, followed by the Munster and Glasgow encounters.

And guess what? If the Bulls beat Edinburgh, they will play their Challenge Cup semi-final in Europe as well on May 3 – which will make it a five-week tour in total.

So, White spoke about how he has his work cut out for him with regards to selection following the 63-24 thrashing of Zebre at Loftus at the weekend.

“We will take the team, and I’m not sure how we will start next week. We will look at their (Bayonne) games as they played today as well, and I will make a call about what team we can put on the field,” he said.

So, the Bulls had to take their best possible squad on tour, and decide who will play in which games.

But starting with Bayonne, the easiest way would be to field the best possible Bulls team. It is no use holding anybody back for the semi-finals, as you have to get through the quarter-final first, and you can’t pick a team for next week because you might have to travel back to SA to face the Lions.

One vital component of the Bulls pack will be restored against Bayonne, as White said after the Zebre game that star No 8 Cameron Hanekom will be fine to play following a back issue.

In addition, regular captain Ruan Nortjé should regain the No 5 jersey from youngster JF van Heerden after he returned from a knee injury off the bench against Zebre.

Other usual starters who were replacements against the Italians, such as Wilco Louw and Embrose Papier, should be restored at tighthead and scrumhalf respectively too.

The big call, though, might come at flyhalf. Johan Goosen is believed to have made the trip to France with the team, and has been back in training from a knee problem for the last few weeks.

It must be tempting for White to start Goosen at No 10 against Bayonne, especially as he has vast experience of playing in France from his time at Montpellier.

But bringing Goosen straight in after a lengthy absence would be doing a grave injustice to Keagan Johannes, who excelled at pivot against Zebre.

The 25-year-old was chosen as the Player of the Match, having kicked seven conversions and marshalled the team superbly around the pitch.

Even White, who wasn’t convinced about Johannes’ display against Leinster a week earlier, was impressed.

“I don’t think I’m going to move him back to nine, to be honest – and I was never going to anyway,” the former Bok coach said about Johannes.

“I just think that he will be a little bit like those French number nines – (Jean-Baptiste) Elissalde, Morgan Parra, even (Antoine) Dupont has played nine and 10 for France.

“When I was coaching there, it was quite normal to see guys like Morgan Parra start a game at 10 and then the next at nine, or even move between the two during a game.

“So, it gives us a lot of options now that I am going to make him play nine and 10, and that will do his (Johannes’) confidence really good.

“He’s actually enjoyed playing against the two Italian sides. Remember that he played against Benetton, and he played really well there.

“We won the game away from home, and today, he was the Man of the Match.

“So, I’m sure it will give him a massive boost.”