Spies blow hits Bulls

Editor

The Bulls will be without number eight Pierre Spies for their game against the Cheetahs on Friday, with the captain ruled out due to injury.

The Bulls will be without number eight Pierre Spies for their clash with the Cheetahs on Friday, with the captain ruled out due to an elbow injury.

Spies suffered the problem in their season opener at the Sharks and is replaced in the starting line-up by Jacques Engelbrecht.

Flip van der Merwe will lead the side in Spies' absence, with Wian Liebenberg coming on to the bench to replace former King Engelbrecht.

Bulls: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Louis Fouche, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Jacques Engelbrecht, 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Jono Ross, 5 Flip van der Merwe (capt), 4 Grant Hattingh, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Victor Matfield, 20 Wian Liebenberg, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Handrè Pollard, 23 Ulrich Beyers.

Date: Friday, February 21
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa), Francois de Bruin (South Africa)