With their Vodacom United Rugby Championship showdown against defending champions Glasgow Warriors just hours away, Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White sprung a surprise with three changes to the starting lineup, and a rookie and veteran on the bench in his team announcement.
White has rested both Cameron Hanekom and Marcell Coetzee, two of the heroes of the Munster win, for a completely rejigged loose trio. Hanekom is nursing the effects of a big game and is not up for selection this week, while Coetzee’s knee and the combination of 4G pitches has meant he will start from the bench.
The surprise, however, was that White moved captain and Springbok lock Ruan Nortje to seven flank for the repeat of last year’s final, and brought back World Cup winner Marco van Staden for a very interesting loose trio.
Other than that, JF van Heerden comes back into the side to partner Cobus Wiese at lock with the backline unchanged for the game.
The other surprises came on the bench, where Willie le Roux, fresh from shoulder surgery, returns to the match day 23 and SA under-20 lock Jacobus Grobbelaar will make his debut for the side if he gets onto the field.
The 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 in the Vodacom Bulls pack that will take on Glasgow tomorrow night in the #VURC 📏🆙
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 24, 2025
Ruan Northe will captain the side and start in the 7⃣ jersey. pic.twitter.com/pvSB1vA8Jw
PLAYER MANAGEMENT KEY
White explained the changes as part of the plan, and managing players to get the best out of them with the back-end of the season still coming up.
“Willie was always due back, we could have flown him over the week before, but we gave him another week just to make sure he was ready. The idea was always for him to join us, because we would want him to get back into form as quickly as possible. I would presume he would be in the national set-up at the back end of this competition,” White explained.
“Marco went home for the birth of his second child, it was never a case of not coming back. It was more a case of whether or not there were complications or not, and there weren’t, so he was lucky enough to get back to the team.
“The back row combination - Marcell has had a knee problem for years, and the 4G pitches back to back has had an impact on his knee. He could quite easily started at 8. It gives us a time to rotate and new options together. I’ve said before I’d like to see Ruan as a seven flanker and as much as it was pre-planned, like everything is as it is, gives me an opportunity to have a look at that combination. It gives Marcell a bit more of a breather with his knee, and then blood the youngster Jacobus Grobbelaar.”
YOUR team to face Glasgow Warriors tomorrow night 🔥
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) April 24, 2025
🆚 Glasgow Warriors
🗓️ 25 April 2025
⏰ KICK-OFF: 20:35
📍 Scotstoun Stadium
📺 SuperSport 201@Vodacom #URC | @URCOfficial_RSA #KidsRound | #ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/7mJy5rzNmP
NO REVENGE
White also dismissed talk of revenge, taking aim at some media outlets that have described it as a grudge match. On Tuesday media were instructed not to ask questions about last year’s final, and White was forthright that he didn’t want to drive a media narrative.
“Because we don’t want you, as in the media, writing things with the words ‘revenge',” White said when asked about it.
“I read a wonderful piece the other day about Rory McIlroy, who finally won The Masters after bombing out 14 years ago. That happens in sport.
“When you have an opportunity like we did last season to win the championship at home and we didn’t, then obviously the next time you play the team that beat you in the final there will be that 'What if?' question. And that happened with Rory McIlroy in golf.
“So it’s not a case of whether we’ve moved on or don’t want to talk about revenge. This is a chance for us to see how we do against the champions. Last week we played the champions from two seasons ago and this week we play last season’s champions.
“Rory McIlroy would have said every year that The Masters is something he let slip and he would like to get that opportunity back. Now I know we don’t win the championship this weekend because that championship is gone. But any sportsman or team that competes at the highest level will always say that next time we play them, we need to make sure we play well and beat them.”
White was also asked by Scottish media about Glasgow attack coach Nigel Carolan’s comments earlier in the week that the Bulls were “coming with a vendetta” and said the Bulls should be ready as they were coming to a “slaughterhouse.”
White brushed off the comments and said he was focusing on the game.
“I don’t know who he is, I’ve never met the man. I have no idea why he would say that, I don’t even know how he gets to that basis.
“I don’t coach rugby on revenge or any of those emotions about we don’t like you, you don’t like us. It’s not my style,” White added.
Four points between fifth and eleventh in the #VURC Race to the Eight 🤏🤏#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/GIb75mpqmT
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 24, 2025
Vodacom Bulls: Devon Williams, Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk, Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (captain), Jannes Kirsten, JF van Heerden, Cobus Wiese, Wilco Louw, Johann Grobbelaar,Jan-hendrik Wessels
Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Jacobus Grobbelaar, Marcell Coetzee, Keagan Johannes, Willie le Roux, Stedman Gans