Bulls hope to give Ruan Nortje big present for 150th match and postpone his Japan trip

While Saturday’s United Rugby Championship match against Munster will be a brutal, physical battle, the emotional focal point of the Bulls' dressing room is centred squarely on a massive individual milestone.

Lock Ruan Nortje will run out for his 150th match in the light blue jersey, a monumental feat for a player who embodies the very DNA of the Pretoria franchise, having come through their ranks as a youngster.

The 27-year-old will also continue his rugby journey in Japan next season, bringing to an end a decade of service in the Blue jersey. However, captain Marcell Coetzee teammates want to postpone that farewell, at least for one more week.

“He is a born and bred Pretoria man,” Coetzee said. “He came through the systems, he really did the badge justice over the years.

“I've been fortunate enough to be his roommate these last couple of years and just proud of him, for how he's grown as a person and the talent that he has taken to the next level.

“Just the maturity he brings through the squad and his leadership is incredible. The players respect him a lot. We would want to make it special for him this weekend.”

To honour Nortje with a victory and postpone his departure, Johan Ackermann’s men must successfully navigate a Munster side coming off a stinging 59-26 defeat to Montpellier in the EPCR Challenge Cup final.

Rumours coming out of Limerick suggest that the visitors could be travelling without star flyhalf Jack Crowley, but Coetzee is entirely dismissive of any talk that a reshuffled line-up weakens the Irish province.

“I don't think it will really change that much,” Coetzee insisted. “They've got a system that works for them.

“They've been playing knockout rugby for the last few weeks, so I think they're pretty settled, whichever squad they bring. For us, it's just being mentally prepared for what's coming.

“We've got some ideas that we want to implement on the day. So it's all about rising to the occasion and enjoying the moment now.”

The memory of Munster’s stunning second-half comeback the last time these two sides met still lingers in Pretoria. The Bulls had controlled the early exchanges, only for Munster to completely turn the game on its head in the final 40 minutes.

The Bulls still came out 34-31 winners, but will be wary of their opponents’ never-say-die attitude.

“That’s one thing about the Irish sides, they'll always stay in the fight to the last minute,” Coetzee warned. “Munster in particular, they've got ways to break you down and disrupt your rhythm.

“We just have to counter that this weekend. You know, we've got a set plan that we want to implement on the day and it's all about finding that rhythm and them not disrupting that.

“They scored some good tries in the second half, and maybe the accuracy from our side wasn’t that spot on. That's something we have to fix going into this game.”