STAT ATTACK | Forgotten Bok Marcell Coetzee has proven his weight in gold for mediocre Bulls

While the Bulls return to Europe on a one-off trip against Zebre this week struggling to impose their authority on the United Rugby Championship (URC), their skipper has continued his proverbial love affair with the tournament.

Marcell Coetzee took the best part of three years to overcome long-term knee injuries when he joined Irish club Ulster in 2016, but then flourished in the then PRO14, ending his stint in Belfast by being named the Players' Player of the Year last season.

Recruited as a marquee player by Bulls director of rugby Jake White, the 30-year-old forgotten Springbok flanker is proving as relentless as ever in the current campaign.

And the official statistics for this inaugural URC season reflect that.

Coetzee has entrenched his reputation as a catalyst when the Bulls are on the front foot, completing the most off-loads of any player to date with 23.

That doesn't mean he's not willing to thrust himself into contact.

Coetzee has made successful 45 carries, which puts him in the top 10 for that metric, while also beating 11 defenders.

He's been rewarded with 3 tries as well.

However, with the Bulls generally on the back foot to date, Coetzee's real value lies in his defensive skills to keep his team in the frame.

The versatile loose forward has made 88 tackles, which is only one less than Sharks lock Ruben van Heerden, who is South Africa's most prolific tackler in the competition.

Coetzee boasts an impressive 93% tackle completion rate and his prowess on the ground is once again apparent through the 8 turnovers that he's won.

There's little doubt he's been worth every cent and is a testament to the judgement shown by the Bulls coaching staff to employ him as one of their core players.

Unsurprisingly, two stars of the