Cape Town - Stedman Gans turned 26 in March, and by now – considering his immense talent and performances earlier in his career – he should have been a Springbok.
But a few serious injuries, coupled with his Blitzboks sevens stints, have contributed to him missing out on a Test cap.
What has been strange, though, is that he hasn’t had much game-time for the Bulls in recent seasons, having starred in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition in 2020.
He got a rare start at outside centre in last week’s 40-3 victory over Griquas, and although he didn’t get many opportunities in open spaces with ball-in-hand, Gans made his fair share of carries and tackles at Loftus Versfeld as the backline played with greater cohesion on attack.
The playmaker and strike-runner from Vredenburg on the Cape West Coast will hope to make an even greater impact in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Zebre at Ellis Park (1pm kickoff) as the Bulls chase a playoff spot.
“I just need to build on that (performance against Griquas). There are a few areas of my game that I need to improve on a lot still, but I believe that’s going to come with game-time,” Gans said this week.
“Getting that rhythm (on attack) is very important for any rugby team, and we want to build on what we accomplished last weekend. Hopefully we can put together more phases and create more line-breaks, and play the type of rugby that a backline is supposed to.
“In previous games, we planned to do a lot of stuff, but we got onto the field and did not execute. Last week, we managed to execute a few of them… it’s exactly that. It’s the same for this weekend: we have a plan, and if we can go out onto the field and execute that, then things should go accordingly.
“I don’t think there was a difference in coaching or mindset. It’s just that what we managed to do was get over the gain-line against Griquas, and once you get that, your game-plan can fall into place.
“We need to do that again on Saturday, and if we can manage that and have a good kicking game, then we should be in the game.
“Once winning can become a habit again for us, that is always going to help a lot and give us a bit more confidence. If we can get the W, we can go into the next weekend with that momentum, like we did last week.”
Zebre have lost all 16 URC games this season, but have a few South Africans in their squad who will have a point to prove in their home country – especially former Bulls fullback Richard Kriel (brother of David) and ex-Sharks and Stormers wing Kobus van Wyk.
“The spirit in the camp at this stage is very positive. The good thing is that our fate is still in our own hands, so from here, it’s about fighting for each other and fighting for the union,” Gans said.
“(Underestimating Zebre) That’s the danger this weekend. You can very easily in such a game go into it thinking you are going to get five points on a platter.
“But it’s rugby – anything can happen on the day, and we have to be ready for it, and I think we are.
“It can be a slippery slope against a team like this, and you can maybe go into a game undercooked. But we have to make sure that we are not, and they will obviously come with their South African guys, who will leave everything out on the field.
“We have to make sure we are ready for that.”
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