Flyhalf Johan Goosen has been included in the Vodacom Bulls team that will play the DHL Stormers in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarterfinal in Cape Town on Saturday.
Goosen travelled with the Bulls to last week’s Currie Cup game against Western Province at the same venue and left the field at halftime with what was later described by assistant coach Hugo van As as a hamstring twinge. He was considered in doubt for the quarterfinal but clearly he’s recovered sufficiently to be able to play the knock-out clash.
Also in the team after he was apparently nursing an injury last week is Springbok wing Canan Moodie, with the Bulls being able with one notable exception to be at full strength for a game where they will be aiming for some semblance of redemption after what they would consider a below par URC season for them.
The exception is that because he’s not considered at this stage to be on the Bulls’ books after being de-registered when he went to Japan in November, Marcell Coetzee was barred from selection, as reported by supersport.com on Thursday. Coetzee is back in South Africa but will reacquaint himself with the tempo and physicality of rugby in this country by playing for the Bulls against the Cell C Sharks in a Currie Cup match at the weekend.
With Moodie back in the mix, the Bulls go to DHL Stadium with the twin Bok threat at the back that has troubled so many other teams. Bulls coach Jake White has stuck largely with the team that was so impressive in thumping Leinster in their final URC league game. The starting team includes 11 players who got a taste of Saturday’s match venue when they were part of the Bulls team that played Province last weekend. They lost that game 31-7 so will be aiming to reverse that result on Saturday.
VODACOM BULLS TEAM: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster, David Kriel, Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier, Elrigh Louw, Cyle Brink, Marco van Staden, Ruhan Nortje (captain), Ruan Vermaak, Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp.
REPLACEMENTS: Bismarck du Plessis, Simiphiwe Matanzima, Francois Klopper, Janko Swanepoel, Nizaam Carr, Keegan Johannes, Chris Smith, Lionel Mapoe.