The Vodacom Bulls welcomed back tighthead prop Mornay Smith and made two more changes to their starting line-up for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship showdown with Irish side Ulster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
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Smith replaces Jacques van Rooyen, who was injured in the match against the Dragons and came off the bench to play the majority of that match.
The other two changes are in the backline where Zak Burger swops with Embrose Papier and Cornal Hendricks steps in at outside centre in a straight swop with two-try hero Lionel Mapoe, who drops to the bench.
Elrigh Louw is also back to face Duane Vermeulen in a battle that will be as bruising as it is anticipated.
Coach Jake White expects close to a test atmosphere for the game, and knows his side have a really tough game ahead of them.
“We have had a tough couple of weeks against strong overseas opposition, and this week we are up against the team that is second on the URC log currently. This will be similar to a test match for us, and we are looking forward to measuring ourselves against one of the best teams in the competition,” said Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, ahead of the clash.
“We are looking forward to seeing Mornay Smith back in the starting lineup, while we are excited to see this team maintain their consistency as we continue to grow together as a unit.
“This will not only be a big game for us, but also for our fans whom we hope to see in their numbers at Loftus Versfeld. We can never underplay the role that supporters play and how important it is to have them back at our stadiums.”
The match will kick-off at 14h00 and will be live on SuperSport.
Vodacom Bulls: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Cornal Hendricks, Harold Vorster, Madosh Tambwe, Chris Smith, Zak Burger, Elrigh Louw, Cyle Brink, Marcell Coetzee (captain), Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: Joe van Zyl, Simphiwe Matanzima, Robert Hunt, Reinhardt Ludwig, Arno Botha, Keagan Johannes, Morne Steyn, Lionel Mapoe.
