Springbok Gerhard Steenekamp will bring up 100 games in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship when he runs on against Munster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday as coach Johan Ackermann made a few tweaks to his starting line-up for the game.
After securing a bonus point win against Cardiff, Ackermann has restored Springbok veteran Willie le Roux to the fullback position, shuffled his backline as he selects a side he hopes will be able to keep the Bulls on track for a run at the top eight.
Other than Steenekamp, both Springboks Marco van Staden and Kurt-Lee Arendse will play their 50th games in the URC, with Van Staden bringing up his century against the Stormers a few weeks ago for the franchise.
Cameron Hanekom, who returned from injury last weekend, will also win his 50th cap for the franchise in all competitions when he gets onto the field.
And hooker Johan Grobbelaar is on the verge of history, needing just one more try to reach a remarkable 50 career tries for the Pretoria side.
Le Roux’s elevation from the bench, where he has been for the past few games, means that David Kriel will fulfill the same role from the bench this week, while Harold Vorster returns to the starting line-up after missing the last game due to concussion.
Vorster is partnered by Stedman Gans, who played inside centre last week and now moves to 13, which means that Canan Moodie will be back on the wing for the Munster game to give the Bulls a potent back three.
The only other change is Ruan Vermaak being back in the tight five for Cobus Wiese, who drops down to the bench for the game.
Ackermann explained the reasoning behind the backline shuffle.
“There are a few reasons,” Ackermann said. “Harold played well before the concussion so he obviously deserves his position. We also feel that Stedman has been playing well and gives us the option of playing at 13, and Canan is also one of the world’s best wingers as well as 13, so he’s proven himself. He just shifts out.
“Cheswil Jooste is still in his process of learning and developing. It’s a massive game for us before we go on tour, so we just felt it gives us a little more experience and stability.”
Ackermann added that the competition within the side made selection tough at the moment.
“The loosies make it difficult. Juandré Rudolph isn’t even in the team and that’s the difficult part of coaching. Here and there we’ve tried to rotate, but the core of the team we’ve tried to keep as far as possible just to build that continuity.
“The reality is we have to rotate, and much of what determines rotation is how we want to play given our opposition. It’s not a perfect science and sometimes changes are forced on you.”
Ackermann also said they were wary of Munster bouncing back from their defeat at the hands of the Sharks, especially as they have been bolstered by three Irish internationals.
“They’ll be highly motivated and will be coming out with an intensity and a determination that we expect,” said Ackermann.
“Regardless of the result against the Sharks, if you look at their history, Munster is one of the most consistent teams in the URC and in Europe, so I think they’ll come to set things right.
“Tactically, they have the ability to string several phases together and to shift the ball to the edges, so our defence will have to be sharp.
“We’re also expecting their nine and 10 – who’ve just returned from international rugby – will do a lot of tactical kicking so we’ll have to be good at dealing with that as well.”
The game kicks off at 2pm and the Bulls will be hoping a warm autumn afternoon and altitude will count in their favour.
Vodacom Bulls: Willie le Roux; Canan Moodie, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Handre Pollard, Embrose Papier; Nizaam Carr, Elrigh Louw, Marcell Coetzee (captain), Ruan Nortje, Ruan Vermaak, Francois Kloppers, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Khutha Mchunu, Cobus Wiese, Cameron Hanekom, Zak Burger, Cheswill Jooste, David Kriel.
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Stravino Jacobs, Akker van der Merwe, Sebastian de Klerk, Wilco Louw.