The Vodacom Bulls have loaded their front row with a trio of Springbok behemoths as they prepare to face the DHL Stormers in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship showdown at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls included an all-bok front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw for the clash with the front row that battled the Sharks a few weeks back dropping to the bench.
Steenekamp has returned from a broken thumb that was operated on and kept him out of action while Grobbelaar missed the Sharks match with a neck spasm.
YOUR team to face the DHL Stormers tomorrow at Loftus 🐂
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“He is a quality player and it is good to have him back,” coach Johan Ackermann said of Steenekamp’s return. “He obviously has a good combination with Johan and Wilco which they have formed over the years, so it's good to have that combination together again.”
Marco van Staden, who will bring up his 100th cap for the Bulls on Saturday, will start off the bench with Jeandre Rudolph, who has been one of the standout players all season for the side, getting the nod at eight, with captain Marcell Coetzee and Elrigh Louw the rest of the loose trio.
“For this week he (Marco) is covering the back row and wont be playing hooker, but congratulations to Marco for his 100th game and hopefully it will go well for him personally and for the team. Ultimately we don’t want to make it too big and we need to keep our focus, and achieve what we want to achieve as a team.”
Ruan Vermaak joins Ruan Nortje in the engine room, with Cobus Wiese starting off the bench and Nizaam Carr joining Van Staden on the bench for the game.
The backline is unchanged from the one that beat the Sharks, meaning Willie le Roux is on the bench and David Kriel starts at fullback again, with the duo of Harold Vorster and Canan Moodie again in the midfield and Kurt-Lee Arendse and Sebastian de Klerk on the wings.
VODACOM BULLS v DHL STORMERS
1. Gerhard Steenekamp
2. Johan Grobbelaar
3. Wilco Louw
4. Ruan Vermaak
5. Ruan Nortje
6. Marcell Coetzee (Captain)
7. Elrigh Louw
8. Jeandre Rudolph
9. Embrose Papier
10. Handre Pollard
11. Kurt-Lee Arendse
12. Harold Vorster
13. Canan Moodie
14. Sebastian de Klerk
15. David Kriel
16. Jan Hendrik Wessels
17. Alu Tshakweni
18. Mornay Smith
19. Cobus Wiese
20. Nizaam Carr
21. Marco van Staden
22. Paul de Wet
23. Willie le Roux
UNAVAILABLE
Sintu Manjezi, Stravino Jacobs, Cameron Hanekom, Akker van der Merwe, Nama Xaba, Jannes Kirsten.