The Vodacom Bulls have opted to spare their Springbok stars the long-haul trip to Bristol for the penultimate pool stage clash with the Bears on Saturday.
Currently in third place in Pool 3, tied on five points with Saracens and the Bristol Bears, the Vodacom Bulls face a thrilling battle to finish in the top four of the group and secure a place in the round of 16.
Taking on the Bears before they host current pool leaders Bordeaux, Jake White’s side will need something from their trip to Bristol to stay in the fight for the playoffs.
However, White told the media in Pretoria that he has decided to rest his Springbok regulars,
“The reality is we have to rest our Boks somewhere,” White explained. “You have to decide when and we could have taken Canan Moodie with us, while resting Kurt-Lee Arendse, but they play well together and I prefer to pick them as a combination.”
White emphasised that the decision not to take his stars to Bristol doesn’t mean that the Vodacom Bulls are placing a greater emphasis on the Vodacom URC.
In fact, as White explained, the result in Bristol could have a huge impact on their season.
“It will in all probability determine whether or not we reach the playoff stage, which is important because we want to stay in the Champions Cup.
“In the two weeks before the round of 16, we play away against the Dragons and Leinster.
“It’s an interesting scenario for us because if we win against Bristol, after those games against the Dragons and Leinster we’ll have to return to South Africa for the round of 16 and then fly back to Europe if we win.
“If we lose to Bristol it could easily mean we have a three or four-game overseas tour in March and April in the two competitions.”
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