Johan Ackermann made 11 changes to his starting XV after Bulls president Willem Strauss slammed their last performance publicly.
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has shaken things up with 11 changes to the starting line-up and named a new captain for their Friday evening match against Connacht in Ireland.
This follows their disastrous 28–7 defeat to Ulster in Belfast last week, which Bulls president Willem Strauss described in a broadcast group message as “arguably our worst performance since joining the URC” five years ago.
There are also six new inclusions on the bench.
Reingardt Ludwig replaces Johan Grobbelaar as captain, while David Kriel is his vice-captain.
New Bulls front row
The front row sees Gerhard Steenekamp out, Alu Tshakweni in at loosehead prop; Grobbelaar out, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels moved from the bench to hooker.
Among the locks, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg has been replaced by Ludwig, while the backrow changes see Marco van Staden and Mpilo Gumede moved, and JJ Theron and Nama Xaba introduced.
Paul de Wet and Keagan Johannes come in at halfback, with Harold Vorster replaced by Jan Serfontein in the centre, with Kriel back. Handré Pollard has returned to SA for the birth of his child.
Willie le Roux will start at fullback and Canan Moodie will fill the right wing berth.
Connacht arrive for this fixture having struggled recently in the URC, with only two wins in their last eight matches, and both against Italian opposition. Despite this, the Irish province remains competitive at home, losing just once in their last four Championship games there, a 21-31 setback against Edinburgh last year.
Connacht’s record against South African teams, however, is less impressive, with just one victory from their last seven encounters, a narrow 36-30 win over the Sharks in Galway in September 2024.
The Bulls have lost their last two away games and have not suffered three consecutive away defeats since October 2023.
Historically, the two sides have clashed four times, with the Bulls holding the upper hand in three wins. Their only loss was a 7-34 defeat in Galway in 2021.
Bulls starting XV: Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, David Kriel (VC), Jan Serfontein, Sebastian de Klerk, Keagan Johannes, Paul de Wet, Jeandre Rudolph, JJ Theron, Nama Xaba, Reinhardt Ludwig (captain), Cobus Wiese, Wilco Louw, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Alu Tshakweni. Bench: Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, Francois Klopper, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Mpilo Gumede, Embrose Papier, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs.
