Bulls almost back at full strength for final Champions Cup match against Stade Français
While their captain, Springbok lock Ruan Nortjé, makes his long-awaited return from injury, Jake White has also included the rest of his top men in the team that will play in the Bulls' final Champions Cup match against Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Bulls captain Ruan Nortje returns from injury to lead the side into round four of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup.
The Springbok lock makes his return after a two-month-long absence and at a time when his team wants to give the European campaign a fight for the ages.
Nortjé and his team will take on their French counterparts with their hopes set on qualifying for the EPCR Challenge Cup.
“There is a lot to play for. Can we hold them and win by 22 points? Can we keep them to scoring less than four tries and stay 22 points ahead? There are a lot of learnings that we can get out of this game. There is never a dead rubber when the Bulls are playing, and that says a lot about us as a franchise. We need 22 points, and that is our goal,” said Bulls director of rugby Jake White when he announced the team.
The four teams that each finish in fifth place in the four groups in the Investec Champions Cup will have the opportunity to join the top 12 teams in the European Challenge Cup in the round of 16 of this league.
“The EPCR Challenge Cup is all or nothing for us. We want to win and that opportunity for us is now on the Challenge Cup,” White explained.
This is probably the strongest possible team that White could have selected and only Dawid Kriel (injured) and Willie le Roux (leave), who in ideal circumstances would probably have made the team, are not available.
The match will kick off at 15:00pm on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.
BULLS vs STADE FRANÇAIS STARTING XV: 1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Johann Grobbelaar, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Ruan Vermaak, 5. Ruan Nortje (c), 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Elrigh Louw, 8. Cameron Hanekom, 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Johan Goosen, 11. Sergeal Petersen, 12. Harold Vorster, 13. Stedman Gans, 14. Sebastian de Klerk, 15. Devon Williams
RPLECEMENTS: 16. Akker van der Merwe, 17. Alulutho Tshakweni, 18. Francois Klopper, 19. Reinhardt Ludwig, 20. Nizaam Carr, 21. Zak Burger, 22. Boeta Chamberlain, 23. Canan Moodie
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