The Bulls split with controversial Bok Nkosi

The Bulls have reached an agreement with former Springbok winger Sbu Nkosi for the early termination of his contract by mutual consent.

The 27-year-old will be leaving the club with immediate effect. Nkosi's time at the Bulls has been marred by off-field difficulties, including disciplinary issues and controversies.

At the end of last year Nkosi went missing without leave from the club. Concerned for his well-being, the Bulls felt compelled to open a missing person case with the Brooklyn Police Station in South Africa, before he was eventually located and found to be suffering with mental health issues.

This added to the already existing dramas surrounding the player, who had broke curfew during the Bulls' URC tour of Ireland earlier in the season.

“I would like to thank Sbu for all that he has contributed towards our campaigns during his time with us," Chief Executive Officer, Edgar Rathbone said. "I know that it wasn’t an easy time for him personally, but I am confident that the support we provided to him was invaluable,”

“Having a Springbok winger of his calibre in our team has been a pleasure. I know that he now feels as though it is the best time to move on and we respect his wishes.”

The club also said they "would like to thank Sbu for the contributions he made during his time at Loftus Versfeld, and wishes him well for his future endeavours."

While the club's official statement around Nkosi's exit was very much in the spirit of 'no hard feelings', it was in marked contrast to comments made by Bulls head coach Jake White earlier in the month, who expressed frustration with the 2019 Rugby World Cup winner.

"He's a big boy now and he’s got to make decisions about where he wants to go and it's not always in anyone else’s hands other than the player. At this point in time, as I said, he's got to look and see where he wants to go. But he's not playing well enough, not training hard enough and I don’t see him warranting selection above guys that have been training in the group."