Bulls wrecking ball Jan-Hendrik Wessels won’t try fullback in Edinburgh Challenge Cup quarter-final

The Bulls were far from home and dry early in the second half against Bayonne in last weekend’s Challenge Cup playoff.

Jake White’s team needed to get a score after halftime to take the game away from their French hosts, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels decided to do something about that.

Channelling his inner Warrick Gelant, the 23-year-old Bulls front-rower raced up to pick up a grubber from Bayonne just before his own 10-metre line – and then beautiful chaos ensued.

Wessels first threw a dummy pass to flyhalf Keagan Johannes while facing his own tryline. Then he proceeded to do his own version of a three-point turn, in really impressive fashion for the 1.90m, 120kg human wrecking ball.

But instead of charging straight into the nearest Bayonne defender – like any self-respecting prop or hooker would do – Wessels did the unthinkable.

The Grey College product attacked space on the left, with the ball in two hands, and made it beyond the halfway line before being tackled.

But the show wasn’t over, as the three-Test Springbok produced a stunning back-handed offload to a flying Stravino Jacobs, who put in a kick that saw the ball ricochet off him and another Bayonne player before David Kriel picked it up and dummied to score a terrific try.

Surely now that he’s proven himself at loosehead and hooker, Wessels can put his hand up to play at fullback in Saturday’s Challenge Cup quarter-final in Edinburgh (1.30pm start)?

“I’ll stick to the front two, for now!” Wessels told Independent Media during a press conference this week.

“I think at the moment, I’m focusing on both (hooker and prop) – throwing into the lineout, scrumming on both...

“So, I don’t have a preference. It’s just for me to grow as a player in both positions.”

Wessels’ form has grown exponentially since making his Bok debut during last year’s Portugal Test in his native Bloemfontein.

Having been a loosehead phenomenon at school and junior levels, he was turned into a hooker by White at the Bulls over the last few years.

But while his energy and impact as a ball-carrier in the tight-loose is unquestioned, his lineout-throwing was still a major area to work on.

Wessels, though, appeared to shift to a higher level in that regard against Bayonne, hitting his jumpers with arrow-like throw-ins, and doing the hard yards firstly as a loosehead prop and then hooker after coming on for the start of the second half.

“If you get time under the belt in games, it’s obviously helping a lot (with the lineout-throwing),” he said.

“We’ve got good locks coming through, and the guys make it really easy in picking the right options.

“It’s easy to slip a lift and then you’ll look at the hooker, and maybe it’s his fault. But the guys pitching up on a Saturday and working hard to perfect everything is making my job a lot easier.

“There is planning during the week, so because I can play both positions, I need to learn the lineout, the detail...

“I scrum on both (positions) in the week, so there is well-rounded prep going into it. I wouldn’t say it’s a planned thing going into the weekend, but it is a possibility.

“So, on my side, I just want to do everything I can during the week to be at my utmost prepared at both positions.

“I don’t think it is a halftime talk that’s a surprise. If it’s the one jersey or the 17, or two jersey or 16, it’s just for me to do my best and give my all to the team.”

The Bulls forwards got stuck in with relish once more against Bayonne, with their prowess in the scrums and lineout efficiency setting a solid base for the backs to attack.

But they may face a more streetwise Edinburgh pack at the Hive Stadium on Saturday.

The Scottish club usually try to adopt a fast-paced style and go hard at the breakdowns, where Test flanks Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie are hard to stop.

So, an open game would suit someone like Wessels, who added that the Bulls are not prioritising either the Challenge Cup or United Rugby Championship trophies.

“I think we just spoke about it after that Leinster game. We really want to show some respect to one another, and really want to fight for one another,” he said about the forwards.

“Even if it’s difficult, even if the crowd is against us, if we’re travelling – just find a way to win.

“So, I think the tour is doing us well at the moment. We had some slip-ups in this year, so we just want to stick to our strong points and just want to find a way, if possible. It’s just starting to play for each other.

“It’s not early days, but there are still three games to go in the Challenge Cup, and four league games in the URC.

“So, we are on tour and want to try our best to perform well in both tournaments.

“There is no talk about winning a tournament yet. It’s just preparing well in the week, and sticking to what we’ve been doing and what’s been working for us.”