Forgotten Springbok Earl Rose could pay dearly for the fatal decision to turn down an offer to play Currie Cup rugby with the Leopards.
Leopards coach Chaka Willemse confirmed to rugby365.com that they were keen on the services of Rose – banished to club rugby by the Lions – on a loan basis for the rest of the season.
However, Rose turned down the offer to play for the Potchefstroom-based team, because he thought there might be an offer from the Blue Bulls.
That offer is unlikely to materialise and Rose could be once again left kicking his heels on the sidelines.
rugby365.com can reveal exclusively that there were “tentative discussions” between Rose and the Bulls management, because of a flyhalf crisis in Pretoria.
However, the Pretoria outfit is likely to rely on their junior talents to fill the gap in the No.10 channel.
The Bulls’ problems started with Springbok Morné Steyn being placed on a conditioning programme with the national team.
They still felt they had enough cover in Jacques-Louis Potgieter, utility back Jaco van der Westhuyzen and Under-21 star Francois Brummer.
Unfortunately injuries have a cruel way of upsetting the best laid plans.
Last week Brummer suffered a hamstring injury and has been ruled out for the next four weeks.
Potgieter also left the field with an injury in the 14-20 loss to the Free State Cheetahs at the weekend – leaving the Bulls with Van der Westhuyzen and two untried junior flyhalves in Marnitz Boshoff and JC Roos.
The Bulls were looking for an experienced flyhalf who would be available immediately, and there were some tentative discussions with Rose.
However, rugby365.com can now reveal that he is unlikely to be brought on board at the Bulls.
It means his decision to turn down the Leopards will leave him without a chance to revive his career at Currie Cup level – after he was dumped by Lions Super 14 coach Dick Muir and also regarded as surplus to requirements by new Lions mentor John Mitchell.
* Meanwhile the Leopards have managed to obtain the services of Lions flyhalf Ruan Boshoff and he will feature in their side against Griquas in Kimberley on Friday.
The Leopards had also hoped to get the services of Rose and Lions lock Jacques Lombard. Lombard has been ruled out with a knee injury
Courtesy of Rugby 365

Rose turned down the offer to play for the Potchefstroom-based team, because he thought there might be an offer from the Blue Bulls.
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 1) : eh he he he
Beggars can’t be choosers and now he has nothing to choose.
This is the funniest article I’ve read all year.
earl is on crack 🙄
Thank goodness he turned us down. We really don’t need him here in Potch. Think bout the future of the PUK players!
Bulls having a flyhalf crisis, a little ironic isn’t it?
@war1 (Comment 7) :
That shocked me as well, but it is an immediate crisis due to injuries. It will be over before you can say “Blue Bulls made the 2010 CC Finals”
Elton Jantjies is the best proof EVER provided that Isma-eel Dollie and Earl Rose were useless and that they were not excluded because of their size.
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 8) : I don’t wanna say that, to be honest
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 1) : Quality
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 11) : Quantity??
Not the best call…who are these players listening to?
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! Little over-confident there, Mate??
He may be called by the Lions…………. I see on Rugby 365 that they have injury concerns over Jantjies.
Hehehehehe. Please don’t take that seriously, the Lions have Spencer and Francis as back up.
@RugbyGal (Comment 6) : hey, you also from potch??
geez, dont we all just love to hate this character?? 😉 he should fit in well with an American NFL side with all that padding…
Play Whacko Jaco @ 10. Please! That will certainly rule them out of semi contention.
he is uber kak!
Bulls actually DO have a flyhalf crisis – and not just a temporary one.
Brummer has quite spectacularly failed to deliver on his promise over about 3 seasons now, while they’ve sold countless of others (Olivier, Potgieter, Francis, Boshoff…). Outside of Jaco, they have no decent backup for Steyn
@robdylan (Comment 19) : It’s also about how a player fits into the gameplan, for example I couldn’t see Elton Jantjies fitting in to the Bulls gameplan, maybe Marnitz Boshoff can perform for them
@robdylan (Comment 19) : they would probably just buy Johan Goosen from Grey of the cheetahs. Serious Talent that boy!
somebody should take Herkie Kruger on loan… 😕
@VanWilder (Comment 21) : he is committed to the ‘tahs
Why won’t Elton ft in, I think he would
@war1 (Comment 23) : serious? but it sounds like the sharks also signed a pretty nifty flyhalf from a KZN school?
@VanWilder (Comment 25) : by tahs i mean Cheetahs, Fred Zeilinga is a superstar in the making, but he had quite a bad injury this season, torn ankle ligaments and such, we can only hope he recovers well.
@Pink Ice (Comment 24) : He doesn’t strike me as a conservative, kicking flyhalf.
@war1 (Comment 27) : ohhh, I was more thinking along the lines of the windgat attitude! 😆
Come On Bulls!!! Make him an offer . . . and my year!! BWAHAHAHA!! 😈 😈
@Pink Ice (Comment 28) : no, that is most rugby players to be honest
@war1 (Comment 30) : @Pink Ice (Comment 28) : And their supporters. Did you also notice that usually their windgat attitude is in direct proporton to their dikgat geit?
@Original Pierre (Comment 31) : 😆
@Original Pierre (Comment 31) : Why thank you for the rather nice words about us Bulls supporters(yet again), kind sir. BUT, actually, my rather petite behind is nowhere near the size of MY windgat attitude! Maybe yours is… ❓ 😉
@diablo (Comment 33) : You obviously haven`t seen my behind. But apologies. I based my assumption mostly on the bulls dancing girls hehehe 😈
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 15) : And Herkie, and Ruan. Don’t even joke like that 😆 😆
@Original Pierre (Comment 34) : BWAHAHAHA
@Pink Ice (Comment 28) : You think Elton has a windgat attitude ❓
@Greg (Comment 37) : he has thee potential, yes.. I am a woman and a good judge of character…they all start of very humble..then u get the ones who stay like that annd the ones who don’t…being under the Bulls where they have classes in the GW gebou at Tuks for “Windgat 101” it might happen quicker than expected!
@Pink Ice (Comment 38) : ah man… I spent WAY too much of my life in the GW…
@robdylan (Comment 39) : same here, althougj not in “wingat 101”!! 😆
@Pink Ice (Comment 38) : Are you kidding me? Windgat 101?

@Original Pierre (Comment 41) : wild assumption, but I see no other explanation!
and GW stands for?? 🙄
@wpw (Comment 43) : Geestens Wetenskappe
@Pink Ice (Comment 44) : Geestes
@Pink Ice (Comment 38) : Maybe. It’s a moot point, though, because he will stay at the Lions
@Pink Ice (Comment 45) : As in Psychology? Oh good choice!
@Greg (Comment 46) : Welll…. who knows. We already have his younger sib playing for us. 😎
@Original Pierre (Comment 47) : Spot-on!
Forgotten Springbok – should be more like never deserved to be a Springbok.
Not all good age group players make it at senior level.
@wpw (Comment 43) : Griqualand West ❗
I agree with Greg.
Elton confirmed that he would like to spend many years at the Lions and if he could he would finish his career there!! 🙄 😯
@diablo (Comment 48) :
@VanWilder (Comment 17) : ha ha he uses just about every rugby accessory on the market…
I think Earl suffered from one too many knocks on the head… or he is just a REAAAALLLLYYYY Confident person.
But then again I never thought I would see Petoors in a Sharks Jersey… well playing for the Sharks anyway. 😆
@wpw (Comment 52) : not a hellevu ambitious, is he?? 😈 😉
@Farlington (Comment 55) : rephrase – wearing a sharks jersey, although I don’t even recall him touching the ball in his 6 minutes of fame!!
@Pink Ice (Comment 56) : Not so sure about that, he is, after all, going to win the inaugural S15 ❗
@Greg (Comment 58) : Oh, you know this for a fact, do you?
@pinkfish (Comment 54) : i think i would have liked him quite a bit more without all the accessories. but then again, he should get discount on his life insurance… 😛
@pinkfish (Comment 50) : and that’s why I’m glad we didn’t buy the Ebersohns
Hands off Jantjies ..get your own damn flyhalf ..
Rose is after the money and nothing else. He’s hoping that his brother Hoskins will have an influence…
@Predawn (Comment 63) :
As far as I know they’re not related. ❓ 😕