The Vodacom Bulls have made a host of changes to their side for their first foray into Investec Champions Cup action this season, where they take on English powerhouse Saracens on Saturday night.
While Springboks Elrigh Louw and Wilco Louw are unavailable and have returned to South Africa, coach Jake White has picked a strong team that includes Bok hooker Johan Grobbelaar as captain to lead out the side, while there are returns for Boks Cameron Hanekom and Marco van Staden.
In all, the Bulls have a very balanced team, and will be looking to continue their impressive away form this season, which has included wins over Ospreys, Benetton and Connacht on the road.
Grobbelaar leads the side out and will pack down with Bok Gerhard Steenekamp and Francois Klopper in the front row while the backline looks the same with the only change coming where Canan Moodie has moved into the midfield and Devon Williams moves into the wing. Harold Vorster has dropped to the bench for the match.
With weather set to have a massive say on the game with Storm Daragh hitting Britain this weekend, and gusts of up to 90mph expected, it could change the entire outlook of the match if the weather turns foul.
But White preferred to concentrate on the positives, with the team moving from Galway to London to train for the game being a lot easier than the normal flight from South Africa.
“We also played on a 4G pitch last week and this week it is a 4G pitch again. So we have trained a lot on the surface as well,” White explained.
One small area of concern is the workload on the Bok players, who through URC and Bok tours are now away from home for nine weeks now, and will need to perform again away from home, especially against a Saracens side that White rates very highly.
“In the last 10 years Saracens have been the benchmark in England, and even though they may not be the dominant force right now, they have won everytime they have been expected to perform in a big game. They have won Premiership titles, European Cups and definitely have the belief to win big games.”
White said that Grobbelaar’s ascension to the captaincy role was another step in creating a big group of leaders in the team so that the best decisions would be taken on the field.
“I’ve always said we need to create leaders in our group and we have a bunch of players who have led the side - Marcell (Coetzee), Elrigh (Louw), Akker (Van der Merwe), Ruan (Nortje) and Nizaam Carr have already been captain. Grobbies is part of the leadership group and is well-respected so it makes sense.
“I remember in when I was at the Boks we started with only John Smit but by the time we got to 2007 Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Jean de Villiers had all captained provincial sides. It makes it so much easier on the field with all these leaders. It is Grobbies first time leading out the Bulls, but he has the players to back him up, he isn’t a guy who talks a lot, but leads through his actions.”
Vodacom Bulls side to face Saracens: Willie le Roux, Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Devon Williams; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Cameron Hanekom, Cobus Wiese, Marco van Staden, JF van Heerden, Ruan Vermaak, Francois Klopper, Johan Grobbelaar (captain), Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Alulutho Tshakweni, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Johannes, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Harold Vorster.