Elrigh Louw will lead Bulls at Loftus against defending URC champions
The Bulls will miss three important Springboks in their URC match against the defending champions, Munster, but all the other players who were rested last week are back for Saturday's battle at Loftus Versfeld, while two stalwarts will also celebrate their 50th appearances in this competition.
Apart from the injured Marcel Coetzee, Ruan Nortjé and Marco van Staden, Jake White was once again able to select a full-strength team for Saturday’s important United Rugby Championship (URC) match at Loftus Versfeld against the defending champions, Munster.
The game will be further spiced up due to the milestones of prop Simphiwe Matanzima and scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who will both notch up their 50th caps in the United Rugby Championship when the Pretoria-based outfit takes on Irish counterparts in round 14 of the 2023/24 season.
Kick-off in this game is set for 17:05.
Both 26-year-olds – Matanzima & Papier – made their tournament debuts during the 2021/22 season and since then, the front-rower (Matanzima) boasts an impeccable 95% tackle success average from the 162 he has made whilst the scrumhalf has notched up 804 metres gained and has 11 tries to show for it.
Photo: Supplied
Papier will line up at halfback alongside flyhalf, Johan Goosen and the pair will direct the flow of traffic with the support of a forward pack that sees Gerhard Steenekamp (loosehead), Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and Wilco Louw (tight-head) in the front row. Behind them will be the lock combination of Ruan Vermaak and JF van Heerden. To complete the forward’s pack, Cameron Hanekom shifts to the blind side with Reinhardt Ludwig lining up at open-side flank. Elrigh Louw will lead the side from eight.
At the back Sebastien de Klerk will run out at left wing, pairing up with Kurt-Lee Arendse on the right side of the fortress. The centre pairing of David Kriel and Canan Moodie gets another run with Willie Le Roux providing seasoned cover from fullback.
Matanzima forms part of the 5-3 split impact squad which has Akker van der Merwe, Mornay Smith, Janko Swanepoel, Mpilo Gumede, Zak Burger, Chris Smith and Devon Williams, all on standby to support the starting XV as the team looks to solidify its quest for a place in the knockout phase of the competition.
Director of Rugby, Jake White is hopeful some of the injured troops will return soon and has great confidence in his squad depth.
Photo: Supplied
“I am hopeful that Ruan Nortje will return soon and Marco – who has been side-lined since the Leinster game – should be two to three weeks away now. We should be okay over the next couple of weeks and this is an opportunity for the next guy in line,” het remarked.
On Marcel Coetzee, White said he had an operation whilst the squad were away (at Northampton) and the doctors discovered that it was worse than initially thought and it looks like he will not feature for the team for the remainder of this season.
Asked about the young combination in his forward pack, White says he is excited to see how well they play together.
“It is a very interesting situation where we have a 19-year-old lock, 21-year-old flanks and a captain who is only 23. It is exciting because we have seen how Ludwig and Hanekom have grown quickly and we have seen the growth of Elrigh over the last couple of years. He too (Louw) was that age when he started with us. So, this is a combination I am looking forward to seeing because it has everything. It has skill, height, pace and it has youth which comes with energy,” White commented.
According to White, like any other competition, home-ground advantage is vital in the URC too.
“We saw what it has done for the Stormers. Not only does it have financial benefits but the fact that you then play the best teams at home and give yourself a chance to win,” he concluded.
He believes the season is still very open with a lot of permutations, but all the Bulls can do is to make sure they win as many games as they can between now and the end of the regulation rounds of the league, giving themselves the best possible chance to finish as high as possible.
BULLS vs MUNSTER STARTING XV: 1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Ruan Vermaak, 5. JF van Heerden, 6. Cameron Hanekom, 7. Reinhardt Ludwig, 8. Elrigh Louw (c), 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Johan Goosen, 11. Sebastien de Klerk, 12. David Kriel, 13. Canan Moodie, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 15. Willie Le Roux. REPLACEMENTS: 16. Akker van der Merwe, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima, 18. Mornay Smith, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Mpilo Gumede, 21. Zak Burger, 22. Chris Smith, 23. Devon Williams.
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