Johan Goosen will get his first Vodacom Bulls start in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship since recovering from his shoulder repair seven weeks ago. The fly-half returns to the mix as the 2022/23 campaign nears the business end, beginning with the round 17 clash against Italians, Zebre Parma at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday 15 April, at 13h00pm.
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The two sides form part of the tournament's first double-header outing to be staged outside of the United Kingdom, with four teams on the bill. Goosen slots in at 10 alongside scrum-half, Embrose Papier as they both form the halfback combination.
A forwards pack with Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Mornay Smith in the front row will be ahead of the pair, supported by Ruan Vermaak and club captain, Ruan Nortje at lock. Marco van Staden, Cyle Brink and Elrigh Louw will add weight from the back row.
The backline will have David Kriel (left) and Canan Moodie (right) in the wings. Harold Vorster (inside) and Stedman Gans (outside) will combine as the centre pairing with Kurt-Lee Arendse at full-back. Bismarck du Plessis, Dylan Smith, Francois Klopper, Janko Swanepoel, WJ Steenkamp, Keagan Johannes, Chris Smith and Cornal Hendricks will potentially get a run from the bench.
VODACOM BULLS v ZEBRE PARMA STARTING XV: 1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 3. Mornay Smith, 4. Ruan Vermaak, 5. Ruan Nortje (c), 6. Marco van Staden, 7. Cyle Brink, 8. Elrigh Louw, 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Johan Goosen, 11. David Kriel, 12. Harold Vorster, 13. Stedman Gans, 14. Canan Moodie, 15. Kurt-Lee Arendse
VODACOM BULLS IMPACT SQUAD: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. Dylan Smith, 18. Francois Klopper, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. WJ Steenkamp, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Chris Smith, 23. Cornal Hendricks
MANAGEMENT: Jake White - Director of Rugby, Nollis Marais - Breakdown, Russell Winter - Forwards, Chris Rossouw - Backs, Werner Kruger - Scrum Coach, Pine Pienaar - Defense Coach, Andre Volsteedt - Strength & Conditioning, John-William Meyer - Technical Analyst, Dr. Herman Rossouw - Team Doctor, Lance Lemmetjies - Senior Physiotherapist, Kyle Meyer - Physiotherapist, Elias Bennett - Team Manager, Zama Dyidi - Logistics Manager The full schedule for round 17 at Emirates Airline Park is: Saturday 15 April 2023 Vodacom United Rugby Championship - Round 17 13h00pm - Vodacom Bulls v Zebre Parma 16h00pm - Emirates Lions v Leinster ** all games at Emirates Airline Park