Bulls boosted by Springbok duo ahead of All Blacks clash
Bok squad members Elrigh Louw and Johan Grobbelaar have been given the green light to play for the Bulls on Saturday.
The Bulls have been bolstered by the late inclusion in their matchday-23 of two Springboks who have been released by the national coaching team, reports The Citizen.
The Bulls take on the All Blacks in the tourists’ third game of their tour of South Africa. The clash is at Loftus in Pretoria on Saturday, with kickoff at 7.10pm. The All Blacks have already beaten the Stormers and Sharks on tour.
Just about 24 hours after Bulls boss Johan Ackermann named his team for the match, the Bulls announced via a shortly-worded press release on Friday morning that Bok squad members Elrigh Louw and Johan Grobbelaar had been released from the national squad to feature for the Bulls on Saturday.
The Bulls said the two forwards would play off the bench as they have had just a single training session with the team after travelling back from Argentina. Both were in action for the Boks in Buenos Aires last weekend.
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann said: “It’s great to have them with us, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
The Bulls didn’t say who the two players would replace in their squad, who on Thursday (August, 13) were named to play against the All Blacks in a rare and historic occasion.
Some media outlets said Friday that the two unlucky players are hooker Jaundre Schoeman and loose forward Mpilo Gumede.
Following the Bulls match on Saturday, the travelling All Blacks will turn their attention to the first Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park next Saturday. The two national teams will meet three more times after that. The All Blacks will also face the Lions next week.
Revised Bulls team: Willie le Roux, Thaakir Abrahams, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs, Curwin Bosch, Embrose Papier, Jeandré Rudolph, Hanro Liebenberg, Marcell Coetzee (capt), JF van Heerden, Ruan Vermaak, Francois Klopper, Juann Else, Alu Tshakweni.
Bench: Johan Grobbelaar, Sti Sithole, Khuta Mchunu, Reinhardt Ludwig, Elrigh Louw, Paul de Wet, Katlego Letebele, Hakeem Kunene.
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