Bulls back Goose to fly again

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Johan Goosen returns from injury as Jake White tweaks the Vodacom Bulls lineup to face the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld in the URC semi-finals on Saturday.

Goosen, who last featured in early May against Cardiff before limping off after just 11 minutes, replaces Keagan Johannes at 10 in the only change to the team that started last week’s win against Edinburgh.

The 13-Test Springbok has battled with knee injuries this season, limiting him to only 10 appearances and 553 minutes in all competitions.

TEAM: Sharks lose Bok champ for Loftus clash

Johannes scored 14 points, including a splendid try, in last week’s quarter-final victory at Loftus. He has been relegated to the bench with Stedman Gans dropping out of the matchday squad.

The rest of the replacements are unchanged, with Akker van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten, Zak Burger and Devon Williams set to make an impact off the wood.

Saturday’s winner will contest the decider next week, potentially on the Highveld if Glasgow Warriors beat Leinster in Dublin.

Runners-up in 2022 and 2024, the Bulls seek redemption after being swept by the Sharks this season. History favours the Herd at Loftus, where they’ve won three of five previous matches.

BULLS – 15 Willie le Roux, 24 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Ruan Nortje (c), 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Bench: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Devon Williams.

Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images

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