Was it the right call by Bulls boss Jake White to pick Springboks who had a lot of game-time recently for today’s United Rugby Championship clash against Ulster at Loftus Versfeld (4pm start)?
Well, it was certainly a statement of intent from White and also a clear indication that the Pretoria side are expecting a backlash from the Belfast outfit this afternoon, following their 35-22 loss to the Lions in Johannesburg last week.
White didn’t hold back yesterday as he included every Bok from the Rugby Championship squad.
Willie le Roux will line up at fullback, Canan Moodie at outside centre (although he played at wing against Edinburgh last week), Kurt-Lee Arendse is at left wing, Elrigh Louw and Marco van Staden are on the flanks, Ruan Nortjé will run the lineouts and Johan Grobbelaar and Gerhard Steenkamp will shore up the front row.
There is another Bok in Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who is listed as the loosehead prop reserve on the bench.
That’s a serious team, and one that should have the beating of an Ulster side missing stalwart centre Stuart McCloskey this week due to knee and ankle injuries, but who still boast seasoned campaigners such as Mike Lowry, Jacob Stockdale and captain Iain Henderson.
Arendse and Nortjé are the big surprises, though, as they have had a heavy workload during the Rugby Championship, and may have preferred a week-long breather before the Bulls’ three-match URC tour, where they will face the Ospreys, Scarlets and Benetton – which are all winnable games.
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It is also a big ask of Moodie to handle the pressures of outside centre as he was still finding his best form at right wing following a lengthy hand injury layoff.
He battled a bit for the Boks against the All Blacks, but seemed sharper and was more involved in a Player-of-the-Match display in last week’s 22-16 win over Edinburgh, where he also scored a try.
Now he has to adjust to the midfield, with Stedman Gans moving to the bench, while David Kriel is restored to the No 12 jersey after an uncomfortable outing at fullback last week.
Another intriguing selection is Boeta Chamberlain at flyhalf in place of Scottish international Jaco van der Walt, with the former rewarded for his impact off the bench against Edinburgh.
“I am looking forward to seeing how we play because there is everything there – we have good forwards and good backs with good pace, skill and a bit of everything,” White said yesterday.
“This will be the strongest team we have fielded in four years from an experience point of view and an achievement point of view – like, we have Springboks in key positions and even on the bench.
“We all know that just because you have a strong team does not make anything automatic, but it is exciting to see that our four years are coming together now. We have a front row and a backline of Springboks.
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“There is still a job to be done. This is a big game against Ulster, who have also managed not to roll over because they are a good team.
“They may not have got the results (after losing to the Lions, but beating defending champions Glasgow 20-19 in the first round), but they have toured South Africa very well in the past, and I expect it to be a tough game.”
Bulls Team
15 Willie le Roux 14 Sebastian de Klerk 13 Canan Moodie 12 David Kriel 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Boeta Chamberlain 9 Embrose Papier 8 Cameron Hanekom 7 Elrigh Louw (co-captain) 6 Marco van Staden 5 Ruan Nortjé (co-captain) 4 Cobus Wiese 3 Wilco Louw 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Gerhard Steenkamp.
Bench: 16 Akker van der Merwe 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 18 Francois Klopper 19 Sintu Manjezi 20 Mpilo Gumede 21 Keagan Johannes 22 Stedman Gans 23 Aphiwe Dyantyi.