Coetzee leads Bulls to Italy

Springbok Marcell Coetzee will lead the Vodacom Bulls into their Rainbow Cup final against Italian side Benetton Treviso on Saturday as coach Jake White named a strong 28-man squad for the trip.

The Bulls will leave Monday evening and travel via Amsterdam to Venice and onto their base in Treviso and have undergone Covid testing in Pretoria before leaving. They are likely to have Covid testing again on arrival in Treviso.

Another Bok Lizo Gqoboka is back in the mix after returning from injury while the son of former Springbok flyhalf Errol Tobias - Sydney - is a surprise inclusion in the side after being called up from the club ranks. 

The Bulls have lost their four Springboks in Duane Vermeulen, Trevor Nyakane, Morne Steyn and Marco van Staden to the Springboks. Vermeulen is injured at the moment while they also have injuries to Arno Botha, Embrose Papier and Elrigh Louw.

The same 23 bar Nyakane, Steyn and Van Staden are on the flight.  

FORWARDS

Lizo Gqoboka, Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Schalk Erasmus, Sydney Tobias, Jacques Van Rooyen, Mornay Smith, Robert Hunt, Ruan Nortje, Janko Swanepoel, Jan Uys, Walt Steenkamp, WJ Steenkamp, Muller Uys, MarcellCoetzee, Nizaam Carr 

BACKS

Ivan Van Zyl, Zak Burger, Keagan Johannes, Chris Smith, Clinton Swart, Cornal Hendricks, Marco Janse van Vuren, Stravino Jacobs, Madosh Tambwe, Dawid Kellerman, Gio Aplon, David Kriel