Steyn and Du Plessis to bid farewell to Bulls

rugby09 June 2023 09:13| © SuperSport
By:Brenden Nel
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Bismarck du Plessis © Gallo Images

Springboks Morne Steyn and Bismarck du Plessis take centre stage at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday as the Vodacom Bulls give both a farewell in their crucial Currie Cup match against the Toyota Cheetahs.

Kick-off for the clash is set for 15h00pm, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Both players will be signing off on long and illustrious careers with one final outing at Loftus when they try and help the Bulls get into the semifinals of the Currie Cup,

The decision to give both players the farewell is the most notable change to the Bulls side as coach Jake White changed a few other spots to strengthen the side for the final league game.

Ruan Nortje returns to the lock position but will not take the captaincy armband, which remains with Marcell Coetzee for the game while Cyle Brink returns from the bad bout of flu that kept him out of the Griffons game last week. Brink’s return means Nizaam Carr drops to the bench.

Tighthead Mornay Smith returns to the front row, replacing Francois Klopper

Steyn’s inclusion sees Chris Smith drop to the bench while Harold Vorster returns to the inside centre role to partner Stedman Gans in the midfield.

Du Plessis, surprisingly, doesn’t start, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels taking that role, but will have a second-half cameo to finish off his career at Loftus while the other notable on the bench is Wandisile Simelane, who may be an inspired replacement in the second half.

There will be one more farewell with team physio Kyle Meyer also leaving after the match after seven years with the franchise.

Vodacom Bulls: Johan Goosen; Cornal Hendricks, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster, David Kriel; Morne Steyn, Embrose Papier; Elrigh Louw, Cyle Brink, Marcell Coetzee (captain), Ruan Nortje, Ruan Vermaak, Mornay Smth, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp.

Replacements: Simphiwe Matanzima, Bismarck du Plesss, Francois Klopper, Janko Swanepoel, Nizaam Carr, Keagan Johannes, Chris Smith, Wandisile Simelane.