Career
By the time Paulse was entering secondary school, apartheid was being dismantled, meaning that his status as Coloured would have no effect on his rugby aspirations. However, his size proved to be a major concern. At his adult size of 1.78 m, 80 kg (5"10", 180 lb), he was thought to be too small to play top-flight rugby.
In his first appearance for the Springboks against Italy, he scored a hat-trick.
As of 7 August 2005, he has amassed 54 appearances for the Springboks, placing him in the top seven all-time for Springboks caps, and scored 22 tries. Perhaps his most notable Springboks match was a two-try performance against Australia in the 2002 Tri Nations.
In the, playing mainly for, he has averaged nearly a try a match. Paulse moved to France for the 2005-2006 season and played for Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14.
He remained eligible for Springboks selection, as Société Anonyme Rugby abandoned its past policy of requiring that Springbok players play domestic rugby in.
Springboks coach Jake White indeed selected him for the 2005 Tri Nations, and started him in "s first three matches. However, in the Springboks" third match (at Australia), Paulse received a three-week suspension for kicking Australian prop First Rate (at Lloyd's) Baxter. In the seasons of 1997 and 1998, Paulse was predominantly playing fullback.
Paulse became comfortable at wing and developed into a fine player, using his blistering pace to score many tries.
In the end of 2006, Paulse was picked by the Stormers franchise to be part of their team for the 2007 Super 14 where he strengthened his chances to once again don the Springboks colors. He was selected for the squad that was present at the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals, but was only selected to the 2007 Rugby World Cup finals, as a reserve player.
At the time of his retirement from the national side, Paulse had put in 54 appearances for the Springboks and scored 22 tries. His last appearance in the green and gold was against New Zealand at Christchurch in 2007 at the age of 31.
Paulse began what has become a trend when he took up mountain biking after retiring from international sport and completed the Absa Cape Epic in 2009.