Immelman to debut for Bulls
A debut for former Edinburgh and Montpellier utility back Henry Immelman and a return for several stalwarts is how Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White has named his side for the Investec Champions Cup match against Lion on Saturday evening.
Immelmann will start on the right wing, his first outing for the Bulls since joining them from Edinburgh and reunites with White, who took him from Grey College to Montpellier at the end of his school career.
Pumas loan player Devon Williams is at the back with Sergeal Petersen making up the back three while stalwarts Lionel Mapoe and Harold Vorster return in the midfield after struggling to make the side given the form of David Kriel and Stedman Gans this season.
As expected Chris Smith and Zak Burger are the halfback pairing, while Marcell Coetzee returns to the starting fifteen and takes the captaincy role for the match.
Coetzee has a potent loose trio which includes Marco van Staden and Mpilo Gumede while another loan player from the Pumas, Deon Slabbert, gets his start alongside Janko Swanepoel. Interestingly SA under-20 lock JF van Heerden is on the bench.
🚨 TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) December 15, 2023
🐂Vodacom Bulls vs Lyon
🗓️16 December
📍Matmut stadium de Gerland
⏰19:30
📺 Supersport | 211
🎙️ BullsEye Commentary live on FB @Vodacom @ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/PF0Nisquyk
“It will be a massive game (against Lyon), away from home in France and I know how difficult it is to win in France but hopefully the group we have with us will understand that it is a great opportunity for us,”
“The last time we were out here, they bashed us physically, add the conditions which when we last played it snowed. Add to that their front row who are between 130-150kgs, so it’s easy for us to say let’s move it around and play fantastic running rugby but sometimes the conditions, opposition and pressure play a massive role,”
“We have a certain style that we like to play and by virtue of playing the kind of calibre opposition that do not let you get away with it, the matches become almost like a test match,
“There are no second chances in this tournament, we have to make sure and we will have to adapt and find a way that we can get the result.”
White said the squad depth would need to play a role this weekend.
“This is a squad that has the experience with players who have played a lot of rugby together and against some of these big European clubs. I think we can be competitive and there is a lot of experience that I can fall back on.”
VODACOM BULLS: Devon Williams; Henry Immelman, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Sergeal Petersen; Chris Smith, Zak Burger; Marcell Coetzee (captain), Mpilo Gumede, Marco van Staden, Janko Swanepoel, Deon Slabbert, Mornay Smith, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Simphiwe Matanzima.
Replacements: Tiaan Lange, Dylan Smith, Khutha Mchuu, JF van Heerden, Merwe Olivier, Bernard van der Linde, Jaco van der Walt, Sebastian de Klerk.
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