White reloads Bulls for Lions hunt

Published on

Arno Botha has been appointed as captain after Jake White made nine changes to the Bulls team for Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Lions at Ellis Park.

Both sides are coming off high-scoring, midweek matches which saw the Bulls emerge emphatic 56-33 winners over Griquas, while the Lions and Cheetahs played to a 44-44 draw.

Given the short turnaround and the expectation of a grueling contest in Johannesburg, Bulls director of rugby Jake White opted to use a rotation policy to full effect with a total of nine changes made to the starting XV and the bulk of Wednesday’s starters providing cover from the bench on Saturday.

Among the changes is the introduction of halfback pairing of Keagan Johannes and Chris Smith while props Simphiwe Matanzima and Jacques van Rooyen will buckle down alongside hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Looking ahead to the game, White said: “We have yet another short turnaround from our previous match. It is therefore imperative that we utilise our squad effectively and implement our rotational policy wisely.

“We are at a crucial stage of the competition where teams are jostling for spots in the playoffs, and the Lions are very much in the race for a top-four finish. Therefore, we expect them to come out guns blazing this weekend, and we will need to be on high alert and ready to counter whatever they throw at us.”

The match will kick off at 1.30pm on Saturday and will be televised on SuperSport.

Photo: Christiaan Kotze/Gallo Images

Post by

SA Rugby magazine