“Sheep” finally back in blue at Loftus
Former Junior Springbok and Bulls lock and loose forward, Jacques "Sheep" du Plessis, is back at Loftus after seven years in France and he will get a chance from the bench on Wednesday afternoon to make his appearance for the Blue Bulls again at home against Griquas.
After much speculation, Jake White was finally able to include one of his big acquisitions of the season in his team this week.
The big lock / loose forward, Jacques “Sheep” du Plessis, who recently returned from France to Loftus Versfeld, will have a chance to show what he can do against Griquas in the Currie Cup tournament on Wednesday.
White has made a handful of the changes to the team that was in action against the Sharks on Friday.
Springbok loose-forward, Arno Botha, will make a return to the Bulls starting XV when the side takes on Tafel Lager Griquas in a Carling Currie Cup Round 9 fixture at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday.
Botha is one of two changes to the forwards pack, where he replaces Muller Uys at blindside flank. Gerhard Steenekamp’s inclusion in the front row, where he takes the place of Lizo Gqoboka at loosehead prop, is the only other change to the front eight.
Lionel Mapoe makes a return to the side where he will feature at outside centre, alongside No.12 Harold Vorster, with Cornal Hendricks making a shift to the right wing. Kurt-Lee Arendse will add fire power on the other wing as he replaces Stedman Gans, who will provide cover from the bench this week.
“We are on the back of a disappointing result against a strong Sharks side, and now we will face an equally committed and dangerous Tafel Lager Griquas team. The side from Kimberley has proven that they are a strong competitor in this Carling Currie Cup competition,” said White ahead of the game.
He said it is a short turnaround time for the Blue Bulls and they have had a few areas they have had to work on in the past few days to ensure that they can be competitive and bounce back this week.
“We do hope that the changes we have made will yield positive results, and that we can be able to play our best rugby again on Wednesday,” White remarked.
The clash against Tafel Lager Griquas will kick off at 16:45.
The Bulls team is: 15. David Kriel (Betway Centurion); 14. Cornal Hendricks (Northam); 13. Lionel Mapoe (Pretoria); 12. Harold Vorster (Northam); 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse (Betway Centurion); 10. Johan Goosen (ABE Midas Naka Bulle); 9. Zak Burger (Tuine); 8. Elrigh Louw (Tuks); 7. Arno Botha (ABE Midas Naka Bulle); 6. Marcell Coetzee (ABE Midas Naka Bulle) – Captain; 5. Ruan Nortje (ABE Midas Naka Bulle); 4. Walt Steenkamp (Betway Centurion); 3. Mornay Smith (Betway Centurion); 2. Schalk Erasmus (Tuine) and 1. Gerhard Steenekamp (ABE Midas Naka Bulle). Replacements: 16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels (U20); 17. Simphiwe Matanzima (ABE Midas Naka Bulle); 18. Jacques van Rooyen (Tuine); 19. Janko Swanepoel (Pretoria); 20. Jacques du Plessis (Tuks); 21. Keagan Johannes (Tuks); 22. Chris Smith (Harlequins); 23. Stedman Gans (Northam).
Standby players: 24. Joe van Zyl (Harlequins); 25. Muller Uys (Tuks); 26. WJ Steenkamp (Tuine); 27. Marco Jansen van Vuren (Pretoria) and 28. Richard Kriel (Tuine)
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