Bulls mentor White says Ewels' Southern sojourn a rare thing as European money talks

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said newly acquired England lock Charlie Ewels is a rare case of an overseas player joining a South African team from Europe, with the Bulls mentor saying money talks loudly in that case.

Ewels, a Bath stalwart who represented England at Under-20 level in 2014 and 2015 where, at some point, he played alongside Maro Itoje, will be joining the Bulls on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

White confirmed that Ewels may not be available for United Rugby Championship matches due to outstanding paperwork and added that Ewels' case of joining a South African team from Europe isn't something that will happen frequently because of finances.

Sibusiso Mjikeliso | White's centralised power could haunt him, the Bulls in the business end

"This is an extraordinary case of a guy who is 27 years old and dying to get into the World Cup squad," White said.

"His relationship with us through people we know at Bath is good because he wants to play rugby and we're happy to have him here.

"However, this isn't the way forward and I can't see international players coming to play here when they can earn the kind of salaries they are overseas.

"I also don't think it would be fair to pick overseas players when you look at how we make up our squads, because we have restrictive numbers and transformation charters we need to put into place.

"The situation we have is a unique one and one we'd like to use in our favour."

The Bulls have a double whammy of a weekend. On Friday afternoon, they will be facing the Sharks in Durban in the Currie Cup.

White will then move to Ellis Park with the URC bunch on Saturday to take on Zebre in the first of two URC games in Doornfontein.

The Bulls have one more URC game remaining