The Vodacom Bulls have managed to hold on to star scrumhalf Embrose Papier – for now.
According to RugbyPass, the Bulls have rejected an initial bid from the Sale Sharks to sign the in-form scrumhalf, who had a three-month loan stint with the English Premiership club in 2019.
The 28-year-old remains under contract in Pretoria until June 2027, but Sale are reportedly willing to pay a transfer fee to secure his early release.
The Bulls’ stance comes amid growing concern about their ability to retain Papier, who was not invited to the first Springbok alignment camp of the year despite his outstanding club form.
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A key factor is whether he is granted Player of National Interest (Poni) status, which would see SA Rugby contribute towards his salary. Without that backing, the Bulls may struggle to match lucrative offers from abroad.
Papier earned all seven of his Springbok caps in 2018, Erasmus’ first year as coach.
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RugbyPass says a possible solution is for the Bulls to sign former Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba, currently at the Shizuoka Blue Revs in Japan, and then accept the transfer fee for Papier.
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