Will the Real Slim Sadie Please leave the Bulls-

 I predicted this. With all the new signings at center from the juniors, Johan Sadie has fallen out of favour this season. After an excellant season with the Stormers, last year when he got a chance in the place of Jaque Fourie. Against the Blues in Auckland he was excellant and looked like a bok certainty in other cameo appearances.

He seems to have fallen out of favour with coaches over defences lapses or just been the scape goat for other mistakes. Hopefully the Sharks take him, or the Stormers. He would even do well at the Cheetas- forget about the poisen Lions Challice or the Southern Pukes.

That said- the Bulls are buying too many players, especially backs. They need to get a proper front row- and some brains in the loose forwards.

For the Stormers- Jaque Fourie really sold them down the river- He gave his word that he would sign a contract extension. If they had known he was going to Japan- they would have kept Sadie on the books.

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Vodacom Bulls midfielder Johann Sadie may be on the verge of leaving the Pretoria union after asking to be released from his contract.

Sadie, whose move from the Stormers at the end of last season was seen as somewhat of a coup for the Bulls, has had an unlucky Super Rugby series, struggling with form and injury before being dropped out of the team’s match 22 altogether.

SuperSport.com can exclusively reveal that the Bulls management have given him their blessing to “look at other options” ahead of a possible release from his contract.

While it is unusual for a player to be released within the first year of his contract, Sadie has struggled in the Bulls pattern and has had problems fitting into the defensive line, making some crucial mistakes during the season which have cost tries.

With this he has struggled with his confidence, before picking up an injury which ended his Super Rugby season.

It is understood that he has asked for more game time, or to be allowed to pursue other options if the Bulls do not see him in their future plans.

Either way, Sadie is now basically back in the market, and is being offered to various provinces, although the big contract he signed with the Bulls -- rumoured to be R1.4-million per season -- may be out of the price range for some provinces unless Sadie decides to take a price cut.

The midfielder has fallen out of favour, and has watched his roommate and fellow former Stormer JJ Engelbrecht arrive with him at Loftus, before leapfrogging him and cementing a regular starting position, as well as impressing Bok coach Heyneke Meyer enough to earn a call-up to the Bok squad for the recent test against England.

While Engelbrecht didn’t start a test match, it is only a matter of time before he dons the Green and Gold, something many would have expected Sadie to do by now.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke confirmed that there had been a discussion on Sadie’s future.

“We are very aware of Johan’s situation and his future and he is concerned that he isn’t getting the playing opportunities he needs because of injuries. He wants to get onto the field to establish himself but is worried he can’t at the moment,” Ludeke told SuperSport.com.

“We will always look at a player's situation and take it to heart. We will always consult with the player and take the best decision for his career going forward. We have given him the green light to look at other options to see if he can get better playing opportunities at other provinces.”

Sadie has been mum on his future, while his agent Hilton Houghton confirmed there were discussions going on, but declined to comment at this stage.

Other than Engelbrecht, the Bulls sit with several top centres at the moment, including Francois Venter, who is on the bench this weekend in the Super Rugby qualifier, and SA under-20 stars Jan Serfontein and William Small-Smith.

Engelbrecht is a wing playing center because the last 3 is basically reserved for POC's in SA rugby. He is a makeshift center that is doing well, but would have done better at wing.

 Nonsense Draad, JJ is currently the best 13 in SA by some distance. What a waste it would be moving him back to wing - whats the point. He has been brilliant in his last 2 games with ball in hand

The best 13 in South Africa by some distance......says Sapp. Just a pity that both Planet Rugby and Rugby  365 chose Juan de Jongh ahead of him last weekend. They, of course, are stupid.

 Like I keep telling you Moz, your beloved 365 had Murray at 13 last weekend - so what does that tell you?

de Jongh had one solid game all season, he has been bog ordinary for the rest - what makes that worse is that he has been playing in the top side in the comp. The guy is an underachiever of the highest order.

JJ is a far better 13 than de Jongh and one certainty is that our national coach thinks the same and that is all that counts

I think that the Bulls is doing SA Rugby a disservice by buying players and then not using them.   Sadie did not fit into the Bulls backline properly nd was not given proper attacking opportunities.   For the latter to happen you have to get rid of their present two one-dimensional inside players - kicking Morne and crashball Olivier.

The only chances Engelbrecht got was when the mentioned to players were forced to try and play a passing game when the team was under severe presure - even then the results were not satisfactory because of lack of practice.   That is why I think the fact that Engelbrrecht came to the fore was  really so remarkable. 

Maybe if the Bulls change their tactics and get a proper linking flyhalf and play Serfotein at 12 - the situation of bakline performances will change.   For that they need proper props and loosies as well - so that a dangerous backline can get proper balls.  

JJ Engelbrecht is not a centre. He had a ok game against the Lions.His defence is shocking

 De Jongh is the best 13 in SA right now.

I agree and disagree. I agree with snapster that JJ has huge potential at 13 and no wonder Meyer called him up. He has very good feet, excellent pace and can break a line. He is powerful at some 97 kg and will lup that to say 102 or so and can break tackles. He is learning his trade at 13 fast.

REe De Jong its no use saying he plays for a top side snapster. The Stormers backline is dysfunctional and that makes it harder to assess De Jong. How would he go if playing say for the Cheetahs with all their attacking flair. Wha twe can se ei stha the defends very well has genuine pace and can step and break a line.

To me his weaknesses are he is not a good distributor and he will not break tackles through power and dominate a collison as well as bigger centers. To me he could also be played on the wing.

As for Jaque Fourie it was unfortunate how all that panned out. However how could a player getting on in years now refuse an offer of R 22 for two years work!

Sadie should come home.I fully agree  that the greedy bulle have overpurchased in certain positions and have not addressed issues in others - like their front row where wee chilli boy has been found out together with kruger. Also you cannot field two lightweight locks. Fortunately for them Flip is back. It should be obvious you should not field one lightweight lock, like the 107 kg matfield, but unfortunately for the bulle they believed their own hype.

Now ou snapster no more trying to bulldust folk I know nothing about rugby like you did on the shoutbox the other day!! Bwahahahahha please!! Who could ever believe that. Please give my sincere regards to Stu, I really like that guy, and the beautiful and charming Mata and any other well wishers. However don't get yourself into hot water on my account.

 Honestly, I don't think Sadie will blossom if he comes back home to Prvince Beeno. It might be better for his development if he moves to the Cheetahs. Maybe sometime in the future once he has regained that natural ability he might look to come back home, but for now, let him go to the Cheetahs. He should fit in really well there. Plus he would have a flyhalf that can distribute the ball well. This means the Cheetahs would have 3 decent centres for a change as well. they could rotate on the bench for a change. CC they have that problem with Geel and the guys all going back to Griquas.

this type of thing will happen even more with the bulls signing the huge amount of players. it only makes sense that players like sadie ext go to unions like the sharks cheetahs or lions/kings to futher his career. he does have all the goods to perform but he will fit in really well in a team that plays attacking rugby so i think a cheetahs or sharks move will be the best.

sharks might be a better move all bepends. just dont hope he goes overseas.

Sadie has had ample time to prove how good he can be, but all I have seen of him is that he has a lot of potential on attack. I don't think that he would have done well for the Stormers this year. He may have gotten more than one game, but the way the Stormers are playing this year. He would have had to endure the same.

Defence has been crucial this year and even the chiefs have tighten up on this area. Sadie can't have it both ways. He has been exposed that he can't play in hard tight games. That is where great players step up regardless of their size. Conrad spring to mind of a player with the same physical and attacking attributes but the difference is that Conrad has the mental strength to play in tight games, defend like a trojan and still produce some sublime line breaks and attacks. 

For me Sadie falls in the same class as Ebersohm. 

At best his a great currie cup player and good to have as a squad member in S15, but he is fooling himself if he thinks he can be a starter in super rugby. 

Also, JJ defence has been piss poor all season, just look at his stats. 

Sadie is more than welcome to come back to province but he needs to listen and learn. Besides, the stormers has JP Duplesis who's only 21 and can play 12, 13 and wing. 

Sadie has to bite the bullet and realise that he will have to put up of being a squad player.

I really like the look of him last year and had great hopes for him this year. Maybe he would have done better at the Stormers.

Ek I have unfortunately to concede your point as the Stormers backs attackwise can only be said to be dysfunctional.

One ray of hope wa tha the and De jong had a very good time agains tte blues last year and maye they just click. Ifs Sadie hard enough, I als wondered about tha teven when he was shining for u s down here last year

Maybe we also miss Jaque more than we care to admit.

Saw this re Sadie - prospect of him playing sevens:

Bulls midfielder Johann Sadie may be the first high-profile player to opt for a dual-contract, allowing him to play both Sevens and provincial rugby in the near future.

Sadie, who SuperSport.com reported on Thursday was given the blessing of the Bulls to look for a new province, is currently considering three options on the table for his immediate future.

The Bulls confirmed they would not stand in his way, and release him from his contract if he found a province who would give him more game time, and currently his agent is looking for a new home for the beleaguered midfielder.

While the Cheetahs are the favoured option, there is a concern that they may not be able to afford Sadie’s price tag -- which is said to be around R1.4-million per season. The Cheetahs have a limited budget which is not as high as the other Super Rugby franchises' and it would mean that Sadie would have to take a pay cut in order to make the move.

Another option on the table is to combine his contract with a National Sevens contract, which may make more sense and help that Sadie’s contract doesn’t need too much of a cut. (Quite a nice idea and one that could give Sadie some addional skills)

Players such as Sadie are normally out of the range of Paul Treu’s side as the Super Rugby franchises refuse to release them, but the Cheetahs have had a very good relationship with the Sevens side in recent years, with a number of Cheetahs players turning out for the national Sevens side. It is understood that Sadie’s representatives have met with SA Rugby’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, to talk about the player's future, including a possible move to the Sevens team. (Now we can rest asssured the correct decison will be made!)

Further clarity about Sadie’s future is expected by the weekend, but it is clear his time at the Bulls is limited.While it is unusual for a player to be released within the first year of his contract, Sadie has struggled in the Bulls pattern and has had problems fitting into the defensive line, making some crucial mistakes during the season which have cost tries.

With this he has struggled with his confidence, before picking up an injury which ended his Super Rugby season. It is understood that he has asked for more game time, or to be allowed to pursue other options if the Bulls do not see him in their future plans.

The midfielder has fallen out of favour, and has watched his roommate and fellow former Stormer JJ Engelbrecht arrive with him at Loftus, before leapfrogging him and cementing a regular starting position, as well as impressing Bok coach Heyneke Meyer enough to earn a call-up to the Bok squad for the recent test against England. (Those scoffing at JJ need to think again)

Ludeke confirmed to SuperSport.com on Thursday he had given Sadie his blessing to look elsewhere.

“We are very aware of Johan’s situation and his future and he is concerned that he isn’t getting the playing opportunities he needs because of injuries. He wants to get onto the field to establish himself but is worried he can’t at the moment,” Ludeke told SuperSport.com.

“We will always look at a player's situation and take it to heart. We will always consult with the player and take the best decision for his career going forward. We have given him the green light to look at other options to see if he can get better playing opportunities at other provinces.”

Yup the bulle are angels. However Frans stop being so greedy and buying and buying like a shopping alcoholic only for it to inevitably unravel later.

I'm sure his fans feel all JJ has to do is try a little harder to become a good defender. The problem, however, is more deep seated and twofold:

1) He can't tackle, he goes high and makes a very uncovincing grasp of the player. Spies is also like that. These guys have played years of rugby and never got comfortable with the physical act of tackling a player. They are not going to learn that now.

2) He gets confused about where he should be in the defensive line.....frequently overrunning his man. This has a better chance of a coaching solution.....but it's fair to say, he has no feel for tackling at centre.

On the wing with his pace, and the touchline as his friend....he can more or less steer the opponent out. In any case man on man tackling becomes less frequent as you move out.....look at the tackling stats. David Campese never learned how to tackle .

The net of all this is.....JJ is a dangerous runner in space, we don't know if he can create space.....and he can't tackle at centre.

 He was never given a proper chance- possibale scape goat for the poor defence this season overall. The Bulls clearly have the biggest budget in Sa- and rightly so with 3 titles in the last 5 years. At home their record is awesome. Although Saidie was given minimal chance to attack- and prove his material with ball in hand.

Whemn playing outside Juan Dejong he was excellant. I keep harping on that Jean  Devlillers is not an inside center- De Jong should be inside-

    Johann Sadie is reportedly heading for Bloemfontein to continue his career at the Cheetahs after having asked to be released from his contract at the Bulls.   

~ News in brief ~

Does this mean that the other Ebershon twin(Robert or Sias- the outside center) will also be leaving the Cheetas. Sadie says that he wants to be guaranteed more game time. Both Sadie and Ebershon may be too small to play inside center- at least in South Africa. Sadie is the bigger of the two I think- but neither seem to be renowned for their tackling

 The bulls structure did not meet his style. 

Well playing outside Morne Steyn and Crash ball Missie- he never got the ball anyway. 

Free State and Johan Goosen should suit his style

Yeah the Bulls style is shocking and they need to reinvent themselves, but to be injured and jus give up and look for a way out will be seen as a FAILURE. In anycase Serfontein, Small-SMith, Janse Van Rensburg has far more potential than Sadie. I agree the cheetahs move will be great for him though.

Ex Supersport - What Sadie  himself says:

Bulls midfielder Johann Sadie is so desperate to play top-level rugby on a regular basis that he was willing to give up his lucrative contract with the Bulls for a move to the Cheetahs next season.

Sadie signed a two-year deal with the Cheetahs on Tuesday, ending speculation about his future after he asked the Bulls to release him from his contract for a move elsewhere, just six months into his deal with the Pretoria union.

After falling out of favour and struggling to make the starting line-up, Sadie was left out of the match 22 a few weeks back before injury ended his Super Rugby season.

And while he will see out this season with the Bulls in the Currie Cup, Sadie has made the choice to move to Bloemfontein in the new year and fight for a starting spot in the Cheetahs' Super Rugby side next year.

The Bulls have released midfielder Wynand Olivier for a sabattical in Japan in the meantime, but the blond midfielder will be back for Super Rugby action, while the fight for the other midfield position next year will be between rising stars JJ Engelbrecht, Francois Venter and IRB Junior Player of the year Jan Serfontein.

“It was a horrible decision to make,” Sadie told SuperSport.com, “Just as it was last year. Every time it is a career move that I’m making and its not an easy one. I’ve had to make the decision for the good of my rugby and hopefully Free State is the answer.”

But Sadie hinted that while injuries have hampered him, he simply felt he would fit more into an open game plan than the Bulls' style of rugby.

“Injuries really hit me this year, I hurt my shoulder in the first game and then tore my ankle ligaments. But to be honest I’m looking forward to playing in the Free State, they play my type of game. Unfortunately it seems the Bulls' style didn’t complement my game. Perhaps I’m being too hasty, but I seriously want to play and next year is a big year for me. I want the ball in my hands. That’s one of the big reasons why I left.”

Sadie admits it was tough seeing his roommate and friend Engelbrecht make the Bok team while he struggled with his luck, but it has only served to motivate him to work harder on his game.

“It’s one of those things,” he says, “We’re still big mates and there isn’t bad feelings. That’s how rugby is. The same goes for the Bulls, it is an unbelievable professional environment and the players there are world class. I really feel bad, but it is a decision that had to be made.

While nothing has been promised in terms of game time, Sadie says his goal is to establish himself in Bloemfontein for the next few years.

“I really want to establish myself in the starting line-up, and that’s important, but not as important to me as being stable at a union. After all, this is my third one in two years and I want it to be a big move.”

Sadie confirmed there was an approach to play Sevens, but he chose to stick to the fifteen man game because he still dreams of becoming a Bok one day.

“I did think about it, but in the end I want to play for the Boks, it is still a dream of mine and one I have to give my all to try and achieve.”

At the Cheetahs Sadie will compete with Robert Ebersohn for a starting berth, while Andries Strauss is the other regular midfielder in the team.

Rather like the  prospect of Ebersohn and Sadie playing as a combo.  Good luck Johan.

 First he was blamed for the Northern Bulls defense lapses in the Superxv, now the Blue Bulls are blaming him for the defense issues- and why they are last in the CurryCup. 

Why do they not just ship him down to Freestate and be done with him.

Scapegoat or not?

 Really the sooner he leaves there the better for him. You are riht sharkbok. They should just let him go already. they clearly don't want him. He doesn't fit into their style of play. Plus the cheetahs will enjoy the early Christmas present.

 Saffex, if JJ is the best 13 in the country then Jordaan must be the best 13 in the world!!

 Sadie had a good game today and picked up from where he was at the Stormers.

Still a possibale bok selection if he can develop further over the season. Although with what happened at the Bulls, Meyer still has that muppet John Mcfarland as the defence coach who was the Bulls defence coach last year