It is well known that South African teams are concentrating more on the United Rugby Championship (URC) than on the European Investec Champions Cup tournament for various reasons.

Reasons include financial aspects. Closely related to this is the fact that semi-finals and finals cannot be played in South Africa until SA Rugby becomes a full partner in the competition.

So, are the Bulls serious about their participation in the European Investec Champions Cup tournament? Well, it certainly doesn’t seem so when Jake White’s team is studied for Saturday’s crucial match against Castres Olympique in France.

The Bulls still have an outside chance of qualifying for the next round in the Investec Champions Cup, but they will likely need to secure bonus point wins in both of their remaining league fixtures against Castres Olympique (Saturday in France) and Stade Francais (on January 18 in Pretoria) to do so. To be absolutely certain, they will also need to ensure that Castres does not pick up any league points on Saturday.

White left almost all of his first-choice players at home for the trip to France for this match. The selection of his final 23 for the match also suggests that White will rather use the opportunity to give younger and less experienced players exposure at this level, while a few older men who are more associated with the Bulls’ Currie Cup campaign will also get a chance to play.

Seasoned campaigner Nizaam Carr returns to action to lead the team against Castres Olympique at the Stade Pierre-Fabre in the South of France in the third round of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup.

In the front row Alulutho Tshakweni will line up alongside Springbok Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Mornay Smith. Behind them will be the lock pairing of young JF van Heerden and Sintu Manjezi, with Kuyenzeka Xaba and Celimpilo Gumede lacing up their studs at loose forward alongside the captain, Carr.

The talented future superstar, scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde and fly half Boeta Chamberlain will link up at half-back and behind them will be the wing combination of Aphiwe Dyantyi and Sibongile Novuka on the left and right side of the park, respectively.

Chris Barend Smit starts at inside centre with Katlego Letebele on outside centre. Henry Immelman will marshal the troops from fullback.

White has opted for a five-three split impact squad that will have Joe van Zyl, Dylan Smith, Sebastian Lombard, Deon Slabbert, Corné Beets, Keagan Johannes, Jaco van der Walt and Cornel Smit all on standby to add impetus to the cause.

The match kicks off at 22:00pm South African Time

BULLS vs CASTRES OLYMPIQUE STARTING XV: 1. Alulutho Tshakweni, 2. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 3. Mornay Smith, 4. JF van Heerden, 5. Sintu Manjezi, 6. Kuyenzeka Xaba, 7. Celimpilo Gumede, 8. Nizaam Carr (c), 9. Bernard van der Linde, 10. Boeta Chamberlain, 11. Aphiwe Dyantyi, 12. Chris Barend Smit, 13. Katlego Letebele, 14. Sibongile Novuka, 15. Henry Immelman

REPLACEMENTS: 16. Joe van Zyl, 17. Dylan Smith, 18. Sebastian Lombard, 19. Deon Slabbert, 20. Corné Beets, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Jaco van der Walt, 23. Cornel Smit

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