Bismarck in, Goosen out for Bulls

Published on

Veteran hooker Bismarck du Plessis starts, while Johan Goosen has been ruled out as Jake White made wholesale changes to the Vodacom Bulls team to face Benetton on Friday.

White has rung the changes from the side that went down to Munster in Ireland on Saturday.

Several of those come in the backline, as Chris Smith replaces Goosen – who took a head knock against Munster – at flyhalf, with Morne Steyn providing backup off the bench, as David Kriel and Stedman Gans come in for Cornal Hendricks and Lionel Mapoe at right wing and outside centre, respectively.

READ: White feels sorry for Goosen

In the forwards, Du Plessis replaces Jan-Hendrik Wessels, with props Francois Klopper and Gerhard Steenekamp either side of the Springbok rake, while flank Marco van Staden and lock Janko Swanepoel are promoted to the run-on XV.

Wing Stravino Jacobs gets a spot among the replacements, with Wessels, props Simphiwe Matanzima and Mornay Smith, lock Walt Steenkamp, loose forward WJ Steenkamp and scrumhalf Zak Burger.

Bulls – 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 David Kriel, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Wandisile Simelane, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Marco van Staden, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Janko Swanepoel, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Subs: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Walt Steenkamp, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Stravino Jacobs.

WATCH: White’s son dots down for Bath

Photo: Craig Watson/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

Post by

Devin Hermanus