Vodacom Bulls have suffered a major setback with the injury of Johan Goosen on Saturday against Cardiff Rugby; however, Keagan Johannes is ready to step up and guide the Vodacom Bulls to United Rugby Championship glory.
Johannes said during a media conference on Monday that he is comfortable playing flyhalf and scrumhalf.
“I prefer both, I’ve been enjoying flyhalf. I played flyhalf in my last year at school at Garsfontein. I’ve been enjoying flyhalf a lot, but wherever the team needs me, I am happy to play."
“If you play nine and ten and keep working on the things you need to and be as versatile as possible, it’s good for any team. For now, I’ll do my very best where I am right now and for as long as I am going to be here. But the goal is to one day play for the Springboks and to be able to do what he did then."
Johannes said he is comfortable at ten, and he is ready to face the challenge.
“I see it as a big opportunity. I’ve been playing in the position for a while now, especially on tour, and I’ve learned a lot from "Goose". I am still learning from him, and he is guiding me well. Just a big opportunity for me to step into that space.”
"I feel that I’ve been competing with the top flyhalves in the country this season. I’m not far off from where I should be. There is always room for improvement, but I believe I’ve done well so far.”
“There is a lot of responsibility at flyhalf. As a No 9, you understand what a flyhalf wants and vice versa."
“We saw this weekend when I went on early to replace Goose. Everyone is calm and helpful when I’m in the fly-half position. When things aren’t going well, the team expects the flyhalf to make good decisions and drive the team forward. Everyone on the pitch helps each other, and we know what plans we need to execute."
“I feel like I have started to chat a bit more in terms of where to drive the team and trying to coach on the field with Willie.”
The Vodacom Bulls will end the United Rugby Championship league phase against the Dragons at Loftus on Saturday before hosting a quarter-final on 31 May.
“The Dragons are the last game of the season, so they will want to cap it off well. I feel like our focus is not really on them; we are only focusing on what we need to do to get better for the business end of the season.”
“The playoffs are going to be much tighter games. We are very proud of our performances over the past few weeks. We aren’t too stressed. In the last two weeks of the tour, we showed that we can trust our defence when things get tough.”
