'It gave me a scare': Coetzee concussion inspires tackle record

WATCHING him charge into the opposition, you would think that there's little that scares Marcell Coetzee.

- ASHFAK MOHAMED

But a bout of concussion that took him longer to recover from than usual this year has given the Bulls loose forward a fresh perspective on his career.

He turns 34 in early May, but the way he has been playing since returning to the pitch makes him appear 10 years younger.

The Springbok talk won't go away either, although Coetzee earned the last of his 31 Test caps in 2022 already.

His outstanding form, perhaps the best of his career, certainly warrants another look from Bok boss Rassie Erasmus especially following Deon Fourie’s season-ending broken leg sustained last weekend.

Coetzee set a new Bulls URC record 31 tackles in the tense 16-13 victory over Munster in Limerick last Saturday, as well as nine carries and his team’s only try. He was also the Player of the Match - a second such award following his outstanding performance at No 8 in the Challenge Cup win over Bayonne a few weeks ago.

"I think with the last concussion that I received, it was a tough one to take," Coetzee said from Scotland this week ahead of Friday’s showdown against Glasgow Warriors (8.35pm kick-off).