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During the build-up to the 2016 Super Rugby tournament, former Bulls coach Nollis Marais summoned fullback Warrick Gelant for one of his hairdryer “Chuck Nollis” talks.
The then 20-year-old – who had been earmarked for greatness from as early as primary school – seemed to have lost a fair sprinkling of the gold dust that made him a child prodigy, and that was getting in the way of Marais’ big picture.
As the story went at the time, he told the shy but flamboyant fullback he could see he was doing everything in his power not to make his Super Rugby debut that year, but reassured him (if that’s the right word) that he would start him regardless.
The often maligned Marais (he also oversaw the fast-tracking of RG Snyman, Jason Jenkins and Manie Libbok) was not alone in recognising the outrageous nature of Gelant’s gifts, but it has taken a while for the youngster to be at one with a talent that makes him a once-in-a-generation player.
There have been tribulations along the way – notably the time he hit then team-mate Jan Serfontein flush on the backside with an attempted touch-finder, and the knee and shoulder injuries that have curtailed his time on the field – but after four rounds of Super Rugby, there’s a feeling that the Warrick Gelant we’ve all been waiting for may well finally be here.
Some have felt that Gelant, whose penchant for moonwalking through defences has earned him the nickname Boogie Man at the Bulls, has been quiet to start with this year.
But in a strange way, by appearing to do less, he has been as influential as anyone (for that you can read Handré Pollard, Duane Vermeulen, Rosko Specman, Schalk Brits and Jesse Kriel) in the Pretoria side’s encouraging start of three wins from four matches.
By now, everyone should be well versed in Gelant’s playing qualities.
There are the dancing feet; the deceptive pace; the bankability under the high ball; a left foot so educated it’s easy to forget he is actually right-footed; the simply beautiful hands; and an ability to identify space on the rugby field, which almost has more to do with a sixth sense than it does with reading the game.
But much like a batsman with a variety of shots for the same delivery, the catch has always been employing said skills at the right place and the right time.
The basic difference with Gelant this year is that he has, to stretch the cricket analogy, been judicious with his shot-making.
Always a try-scoring fullback, it appears the Bulls have decided to play him in a manner that puts all of his skills to good use, be it by bailing the team out with a crucial touch finder, popping up in the playmaker’s role to put the likes of Specman away, joining the line to create mismatches in numbers or indeed scoring himself.
The stepping, such a constant source of entertainment in the past, has been sparingly used and only thrown in as an element of surprise – the Sharks’ Rob du Preez will attest to the goose-step that helped Gelant ghost past him before setting up the Bulls’ third try in their derby last weekend.
As ever with the Knysna-born Gelant, the question is whether his body will hold.
Too often in the past, aches and pains have intervened just as his form gathered momentum.
This is thanks to a blockbuster defensive game that sometimes writes cheques his body can’t cash (watching the 1.78m, 89kg Gelant stop powerful runners like Elliot Dixon and Sbu Nkosi dead in their tracks on YouTube drops broad hints as to why).
Quite what Gelant’s newfound maturity means for his chances of starting for the Springboks at fullback is a debate for another day.
Incumbent Willie le Roux – whose input the Bulls fullback values – has always had experience as the main reason he was in front of the queue.
This is regardless of the fact that he can be quite inconsistent in his output. Be that as it may, for the time being, let’s celebrate having a talent to rival anything the New Zealanders can throw at us.
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