Jannes Kirsten is relishing his second coming at the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship ( URC ), and he is eager to make an impact in the place he calls home.
The 30-year-old came through the youth ranks at the Bulls, before he left in 2019 to join Japans Toyota Verblitz , and followed that with a move to top English club Exeter Chiefs .
Though he returned to Pretoria last year in July, he soon picked up a foot injury that prevented him from training for some time.
The 1.97m-tall bruiser, admitted it was frustrating making a delayed return for the Bulls.
Not the ideal start
It wasnt the best start for me, coming back (to SA). Pre-season and everything went well, and then I got injured for a few months. It was a while since I played, but it was a big anticipation. It was a great relief, and luckily everything went well feeling good, said Kirsten.
Its just good to be back home. Its been coming for a while, and Im glad to be back finally. It felt familiar, but different, and its one of the reasons I came back. I was born in Pretoria and raised here, and Loftus feels like home.
In fact, Kirsten only made his comeback on April 27 in the Bulls 61-24 win over Ospreys at Loftus. Afterwards, he admitted the nerves he felt ahead of his long-awaited return.
Obviously a bit stressed before the game, as you should as it keeps you sharp. It was a good game to get back. I played 20 minutes and everything felt good. The altitude ... growing up here, it didnt bother me. But coming back now, I did feel it.
But it felt good. Its a difficult time of the season to come back as the guys have been playing well, but I hope to contribute to the team.
Next up for Kirsten and the Bulls is their URC match against Glasgow on Saturday.
@Golfhackno1
