FILE - Bull wing Kurt-Lee Arendse makes an offload during the United Rugby Championship final against the Glasgow Warriors last season. FILE - Bull wing Kurt-Lee Arendse makes an offload during the United Rugby Championship final against the Glasgow Warriors last season. Arendse is one of 13 Springboks in the Bulls’ squad that faces Ulster this weekend. Picture: Phill Magakoe / AFP
Bulls coach Jake White has hauled out his Springboks for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship match against Ulster.
The Pretoria side will have no less than 13 Springboks in the matchday 23, with 10 of those in the run-on team for the 4pm kickoff at Loftus Versfeld.
Lock Ruan Nortje will lead the team, while hooker Johan Grobbelaar and inside centre David Kriel will play their 50th matches for the franchise.
Coach Jake White is very happy to have most of his big guns back for the clash after the Rugby Championship, and will hope to continue their perfect start after seeing off Edinburgh in their first match last weekend.
“I am looking forward to seeing how we play because there is everything there, we have good forwards and good backs with good pace, skill and a bit of everything,” White said.
“This will be the strongest team we have fielded in four years from an experience point of view, and an achievement point of view; like we have Springboks in key positions and even on the bench.
“We all know that just because you have a strong team does not make anything automatic, but it is exciting to see that our four years are coming together now. We have a front row and a backline of Springboks.
The Bulls have an all Springbok front-row, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw starting together. Cobus Wiese will combine with Bok Nortje in the second row, while the loose forwards feature a combo of power and ball-stealing ability with Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom operating together.
Embrose Papier starts at scrumhalf alongside Boeta Chamberlain at flyhalf. The dangerous Kurt-Lee Arendse is at left wing, while Boks Canan Moodie and Willie le Roux will play at outside centre and fullback respectively.
The Bulls also have three Springboks on the bench in hooker Akker van der Merwe, prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels and wing Aphiwe Dyantyi.
Bulls team for Ulster:
1 Gerhard Steenekamp, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Cobus Wiese, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 6 Marco van Staden, 7 Elrigh Louw, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 9 Embrose Papier, 10 Boeta Chamberlain, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12 David Kriel, 13 Canan Moodie, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 15 Willie le Roux.
Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20. Celimpilo Gumede, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Aphiwe Dyantyi.
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