The Vodacom Bulls have welcomed back the services of Marcell Coetzee as the Tshwane-based outfit prepares to take on the Cell C Sharks in round 9 of the 2023 Currie Cup campaign, to be played at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Kick-off for this clash has been adjusted to 17h30pm to accommodate the earlier kickoff in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarterfinal match in Cape Town.
The men in blue also welcome the return of speedster Sbu Nkosi and centre Marco Jansen van Vuren. Nkosi will start at left wing, paired up with Kabelo Mokoena on the right. van Vuren (outside) will partner with Chris Barend Smit (inside) as the centre combination while Juan Mostert will start at full-back.
Zak Burger and Morne Steyn will link up as the half-back combination that will bridge the gap between the backline and the forwards.
At front row will be Jacques van Rooyen (loose-head prop), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (hooker) and Robert Hunt (tight-head prop), supported by Jacque du Plessis and Charlie Ewels who will start at lock. Marcell Coetzee (open-side flanker), Reinhardt Ludwig (blind-side flanker) and WJ Steenkamp Steenkamp (eight-man) will complete the forwards’ pack from the back row.
Lizo Gqoboka, Joe van Zyl, Sebastian Lombard, Merwe Olivier, Mihlali Mosi, Eugene Hare, Cornal Hendricks and Franco Knoetze will all form part of the impact should their services be required on the night.
VODACOM BULLS v CELL C SHARKS STARTING XV: 1. Jacques van Rooyen, 2. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 3. Robert Hunt, 4. Jacques du Plessis, 5. Charlie Ewels, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Reinhardt Ludwig (c), 8. WJ Steenkamp, 9. Zak Burger, 10. Morne Steyn, 11. Sbu Nkosi, 12. Chris Barend Smit, 13. Marco Jansen van Vuren, 14. Kabelo Mokoena, 15. Juan Mostert
VODACOM BULLS IMPACT SQUAD: 16. Lizo Gqoboka, 17. Joe van Zyl, 18. Sebastian Lombard, 19. Merwe Olivier, 20. Mihlali Mosi, 21. Eugene Hare, 22. Cornal Hendricks, 23. Franco Knoetze
MANAGEMENT: Sean Everitt - Defence & Breakdown, Hugo van As - Backline, Gert Smal - Forwards, Andre Volsteedt - Strength & Conditioning, John-William Meyer - Technical Analyst, Yusuf Vahed - Sports Scientist, Dr. Herman Rossouw - Team Doctor, Lance Lemmetjies - Senior Physiotherapist, Kyle Meyer - Physiotherapist, Elias Bennett - Team Manager, Zama Dyidi - Logistics Manager