It’s not just anyone who steps into the second-row at Loftus Versfeld to run out for the Bulls. When you wear the No 4 or No 5 blue jersey, there is a certain amount of weight that comes with it.
Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje are some of the more recent Springboks who have donned those jumpers. So, when Reinhardt Ludwig struggled for regular game time at lock at the Bulls last season, he used his disappointment as fuel to make sure that it doesn’t happen again this season.
Nortje, who owned the Bulls No 5 jumper last season and who was also the team’s captain, has since left for Japan. His departure opened the door for Ludwig to step up, and that’s exactly what he did in the first United Rugby Championship (URC) match of the season against Zebre Parma this past weekend.
Not only did Ludwig score two tries as the Bulls beat the Italian team 47-13, but he also made two line-out steals, gained 36ms and beat three defenders.
As he powered over for his first try in Parma, fans could be forgiven for thinking it was Nortje – not just by the way he ran, but with the headband around his head, too. The 24-year-old Ludwig is not Nortje. He is Reinhardt Ludwig, and he is a man on a mission.
“It wasn’t always sunshine and roses,” he said, on Monday.
"It hurts when you’re not picked on a Monday to play on a Saturday, and that feeling stuck with me. It motivated me through this pre-season
“There were some tough conversations sometimes. As a player, you want honesty and you want to know where you stand. You never know when you’re going to get another opportunity, so I’m extremely grateful.”
Though not yet Bakkies and Victor, Ludwig teamed up well with lock partner Ruan Vermaak – especially in the lineo-uts.
“We have a system; it is not a one-man show. I must know what Vermaak is doing and he must know what I’m doing. I know the system and how to play within it,” said Ludwig, of their performance in the set piece.
Of filling the void left by Nortje, he added: “Ruan left big boots to fill.
"But we’re young, all ambitious, we all want to be where he was. In the deep end is the best way to grow.”
Ludwig knows getting to Nortje’s level requires consistency, and he knows that he has to follow up last weekend’s performance with another good one against Munster in Ireland this Saturday. While satisfied with his team’s lineouts, coach Johan Ackermann said the scrums are a big “work-on” for his team ahead of this week’s clash.
“We must be better,” said Ludwig, adding: “It’s probably going to be rainy.
“The crowd is going to be in your ear. It’s a completely different challenge, and it’s about how you adapt and handle the pressure.”