From considering retirement to becoming the URC’s "Breakdown Bully". Jeandre Rudolph is proving that age is just a number. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
In a Bulls pack oozing with illustrious Springboks, uncapped Jeandre Rudolph has emerged as an unsung hero. He is the journeyman who rolls up his sleeves and gets the job done week in week out.
The praise and recognition he is getting are all the more deserved because he thought he had reached the end of the road a year ago and considered retirement.
The statistics do not lie — Rudolph has won more turnovers than any other player in the United Rugby Championship this season. His tally of 16 is four more than his nearest rival.
Nicknamed the “breakdown bully”, the 31-year-old has played a key role in helping the Bulls move into the Top 8 in the league table.
Rudolph has had to be patient before cracking an opportunity with one of South Africa’s URC teams, having played the bulk of his rugby at Currie Cup level. But now, six years on from a brief spell on loan with Bulls, he is back in Pretoria on a full-time basis with his initial short-term deal having been extended into a two-year contract.
While Springboks are in and out of the team because of resting protocols, Rudolph is a reliable start for coach Johan Ackermann, either No 8 or on the flank, and is likely to be an important figure once again in Saturday’s URC derby clash with the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld.
Rudolph was born in the Johannesburg suburb of Florida.
When he was six, he moved down to the Western Cape with his family, going to school in Riversdale.
“The community I grew up in was a real small town vibe,” he recalls.
“We were just normal kids riding bikes around. I have very fond memories of those times. I played rugby from a young age, but never thought of it as a career.
“Then, at the end of 2012, I got an opportunity to go to the North-West University and play rugby for them. That’s when everything started.”
Rudolph captained the Potchefstroom-based university for three years and led them to their first Varsity Cup triumph in 2016.
He went on to have spells with the Leopards and the Pumas in the Currie Cup, ahead of a first short stint with the Bulls in 2020, when he made four Super Rugby appearances. A move to the Cheetahs followed, and he excelled in Bloemfontein, helping them win the 2023 Currie Cup, while he also impressed during a loan stint with the Ospreys in Wales.
In all, he made 74 appearances during his five seasons with the Cheetahs and became a cult figure. However, last year, at the age of 30, he considered hanging up his boots, only for new Bulls coach Ackermann to sign him up on a short-term deal.
Rudolph has grabbed his chance with both hands, making a huge impact with his carrying, his defence and his work over the ball.
He was named Player of the Match in December’s URC clash with the Sharks in Durban, while he earned rich praise for his performance against the Stormers in Cape Town in January.
Stormers coach John Dobson said: “I thought Jeandre was incredible at the breakdown, a nuisance really.
“He’s an unsung sort of player. He’s just an amazing player, a good leader and a good guy.”
Rudolph was also named Player of the Match in the Bulls’ Champions Cup victory away to French club Pau in January — a result which earned them a place in the last 16.
Speaking about life in Pretoria, he said: “The step up from Currie Cup is something to get used to, but having a lot of experience and good players around you, you quickly catch on.”
He has done just that and is making his mark as the URC’s turnover king.
* Mike Greenaway is a senior rugby reporter at Independent Media and contributor on our Last World on Rugby podcast on our YouTube channel, The Clutch