Nkosi back for Bulls, Goosen out for six weeks
There were some notable pieces of news as the Bulls announced their matchday 23 that will do battle against the Stormers on Saturday.
Jake White – who recently returned to his coaching duties after a health scare – unveiled his Bulls squad selection on Friday, with minimal changes up front but a number of forced changes to the back division.
Kick-off is scheduled for 17h05 on Saturday.
The Pretoria outfit are still without the services of Springbok duo, Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse, who are still on a rest break. However, in some seriously good news, Sbu Nkosi returns to the fold to start at left wing after returning from a mental health break. Cornal Hendricks gets a run on the right wing with David Kriel shifting to fullback.
Notably, Johan Goosen is recovering from a successful shoulder surgery that will see him sidelined for up to six weeks.
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Lock Jacques du Plessis is the only change in the forward pack from the matchday squad that lined up against Welsh side, Scarletts.
At the back, Director of Rugby Jake White has made a number of changes, with Zak Burger and Chris Smith combining at halfback. In the midfield, Harold Vorster and Wandisile Simelane pair up as inside and outside centre’s respectively.
When he comes off the bench, Morne Steyn will run out for his 150th club game in the Super Rugby and United Rugby Championship era, a feat only achieved by a select few players.
The Springbok and Bulls legend has spent the last 14 years applying his trade in Pretoria, earning his unrivalled icon status across South Africa’s rugby-loving communities.
With already more than 35 000 tickets sold, the hosts expect a full house which will bolster their confidence as they look to continue building momentum towards the playoffs of the championships. The expected crowd is set to be the largest in the competition, for a match featuring two sides, with the current record attendance set at 62 000 for the 2018 edition of Judgement Day; a fixture that features all four teams in Wales, playing at the Principality Stadium, over one afternoon.
Bulls team
15 David Kriel, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sbu Nkosi, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (captain), 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Substitutes: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Ruan Vermaak, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Lionel Mapoe
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Stormers team
15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 Gary Porter, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Brok Harris
Substitutes: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Junior Pokomela, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu