Wilco Louw focused on Bulls' United Rugby Championship victory in honour of Cornal Hendricks
While it will come as a huge feather in his cap to be nominated as Player of the Season, there's no time to celebrate just yet for Bulls prop Wilco Louw ahead of his side's United Rugby Championship semi-final this weekend.
The Bulls will host the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday in the second semi-final. Kick-off is at 6.15pm.
Should Leinster lose their semi to Glasgow earlier in the day, it will mean the final will be hosted in South Africa for the fourth year in a row.
As Louw reflected on his nomination, it was revealing how he avoided personally taking credit for his achievement.
"It is a massive honour to be nominated for Player of the Season. But rugby is a team sport, and without the rest of the team, the brilliant players I play with — none of this would have been possible. It's the guys who pack in the scrums, who clean when you carry. It's a team effort,' Louw told SportsBoom.co.za.
The Bulls had to come through a gruelling quarter-final against Edinburgh Rugby at Loftus to book their ticket in the last four. It was an especially significant feat, since the Bulls had lost to the same opposition earlier in their campaign.
"They were not an easy opposition; they are a well-coached team. They got good dominance in the scrum the first time we faced them, and we remembered that. We also lost to them in the Challenge Cup playoffs, which was tough. So, we knew exactly what they'd bring on Saturday.'
With former Bulls star Cornal Hendricks dying suddenly last month at the age of 37, going all the way in the competition this year would be an especially poignant milestone, Louw revealed.
"Cornal was a happy guy, always positive and full of good energy. He was a fantastic rugby player but an even better human being.
'Hopefully, we can finish the season strong for him and his family. It would be a cherry on top if we could do it for Cornal and not just for rugby, but because of the way he lived life with enthusiasm and joy."
@Michael_Sherman
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