The Vodacom Bulls have named a formidable team to duel the Exeter Chiefs in the third round of the Champions Cup in Pretoria on Saturday night.
There is just one change from the starting lineup that was originally named to face Dragons in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship last weekend.
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Cyle Brink has been ruled out with an injury and his place in the back row is taken by experienced loose forward Nizaam Carr, who teams up with Elrigh Louw and Marco van Staden.
The rest remains the same, as Chris Smith has recovered from the illness that caused him to withdraw from the Dragoms match and once again partners up with halfback Zak Burger.
This means another chance for Wandisile Simelane to start at outside centre, after playing among the back three earlier this season.
An experienced and influential impact squad features the likes of Bismarck Du Plessis, Dylan Smith, Embrose Papier, Johan Goosen and Lionel Mapoe; all lining up alongside bright young stars in Francois Klopper, Janko Swanepoel and WJ Steenkamp.
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“We have got to front up on Saturday, sticking to our systems, which will help us do well. We have to try hard and stay within what we have been coached and try to break them down in the way that they want to play, that is how we are going to get the result,” said forwards coach Russell Winter.
“We are playing one of the top clubs in a top premium franchise competition, so the intensity will be higher and we are going to have to match it and improve our intensity if we want to make that we get the win. We have to be up for it physically, mentally and on our game, they might find some cracks; but if we do what we train, then we will be okay,”
“We know they (Exeter) are a very good side, we know that they are well coached and we know that in the game that we played against them (in Exeter on 17 December) they really put in a big scrum and mauling performance. We know their pack of forwards is a really good set of forwards, they really play and play expansive rugby as well if they want to.
“We have to prepare for all these things and come Saturday, we are going to put our best foot forward and hopefully we have prepared well enough to win the game,” Winter concluded.
Bulls – 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 David Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Nizaam Carr, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Subs: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Lionel Mapoe.
Photo: Andy Watts/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix