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

Lock Ruan Nortjé will leave the Bulls at the end of the season to take up a contract in Japan.

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.