The Vodacom Bulls have not taken a risk by keeping their Springboks on ice for two games ahead of the derby against the DHL Stormers on Friday, says forwards coach Russell Winter.

Keeping an eye on the first north-south derby of the season in Cape Town, Jake White opted to rest most of his Springbok players for the Champions Cup matches against Lyon and Exeter.

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After beating Lyon at home, a youthful Vodacom Bulls side was handed a 44-14 loss at the hands of Exeter Chiefs. The Stormers, by contrast, kept a relatively consistent team in both the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s match, Vodacom Bulls forwards coach Winter defended their decision to field weakened sides in Europe.

“It’s not a gamble, everybody plans a certain way and the proof will be in the way we perform on Friday night against the Stormers, whether the plan worked or not,” Russell said.

“It was hugely important to make sure that rotation happens and players who were left behind get a chance to recover because there are so many games this season.

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“Last year we had more time off because we were not in the Champions Cup, but this season is a challenging time because each union has planned accordingly. We have to see which plan works. Everybody backs the plan and everybody is confident we will put our best foot forward.

“The Stormers as well, maybe another approach works better, but we are confident in what we are doing and hopefully the rest helps the boys and they are not rusty for the two weeks off.”

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