Embrose Papier Set To Break Springboks Legend Joost Van Der Westhuizen’s Bulls Record

• A landmark appearance awaits at Loftus as Embrose Papier closes in on a major Bulls milestone that will etch his name into franchise history
• The scrum-half is on the brink of overtaking one of South African rugby’s most celebrated figures in a record that has stood for years
• Strong club form and growing national attention have put Papier back on the Springboks radar amid mounting competition for the No 9 jersey

When the Vodacom Bulls take to the field in the penultimate round of the United Rugby Championship against Zebre this weekend, it will be an iconic moment for Embrose Papier.

Papier will don the famous Bulls colours for a record 170th appearance, a milestone that will see him surpass the late, great Joost van der Westhuizen as the most-capped scrum-half in the club’s history. He was named on the replacements bench and will be hoping to get game time to officially break the record.

Read also

Kaizer Chiefs player lashes out at Cardoso following referee comments controversy

Erasmus shows interest in Papier

According to Bulls coach Johan Ackermann, Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus has taken note of the 29-year-old’s outstanding performances this season.

Papier has already featured for the Springboks, earning seven Test caps since his debut in 2018, but has struggled to secure a regular place due to competition from the likes of Faf de Klerk, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams, Jaden Hendrikse, Herschel Jantjies and Morne van den Berg.

However, he has been in excellent form for the Bulls during their 2025/26 United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup campaigns, already collecting five man-of-the-match awards this year.

Papier among leading performers in the URC

He also ranks among the URC’s leading attacking performers and has crossed the try line nine times, just two behind Stormers number eight Evan Roos, who leads the competition after 16 rounds.

Despite his strong performances, Papier has not yet earned a recent Springboks call-up, with Erasmus’ February alignment camps overlooking him. That could change, however, as injuries to Reinach, Williams and Hendrikse begin to open up space in the national setup.

Read also

Cardoso makes honest admission about Sundowns title race

Ackermann confirmed there has been communication from the Springboks camp regarding his in-form scrum-half, although no further camp involvement has followed yet. He added that national selectors are clearly keeping close watch after direct contact was made, speaking in Pretoria during the team announcement for the Zebre fixture.

“They’ve spoken to him about a few things he needs to improve on. That’s positive for us because it shows they’re watching him, but nothing is guaranteed,” he said.

Former England rugby player admits cheating

Briefly News previously reported that A former British and Irish Lions rugby player has admitted that he cheated in a head injury assessment test to get back on the pitch after a heavy tackle.

Anthony Watson told the BBC that he took this step in 2017 during the second Test against the All Blacks in New Zealand, when he was high tackled by Sonny Bill Williams. Williams received a straight red card for the offence.

Source: Briefly News