Springboks trio bolster Bulls as they look to knock Stormers off their perch
Ruan Nortje and Canan Moodie both start for the Bulls.
Springboks trio Ruan Nortje, Marco van Staden and Canan Moodie will be welcome returnees for the Bulls as they start against the Stormers in Cape Town.
The United Rugby Championship (URC) strugglers head into Saturday’s highly anticipated New Year’s trip to the Stormers at DHL Stadium as underdogs due to form.
Nortje, Van Staden and Moodie’s returns to the XV is set to be music to the ears of Bulls supporters as they look to improve on a dismal start to their league campaign.
Nortje back as captain
Indeed, head coach Johan Ackermann has made several tweaks to the side that faced the Sharks two weeks ago, as a mix of tactical changes and new faces come in.
Nortje returns to lead the team from the second-row, taking over the duties from Elrigh Louw, who captained the Bulls against the Sharks, a fixture they lost 21-12.
In the back-row, Marco van Staden comes into the team while Jeandre Rudolph shifts to accommodate the reshuffle. The pair join Louw as the starting trio there.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse BACK for Stormers ahead of Bulls showdown
Among the backs, Moodie slots in at 13, with Harold Vorster dropping out of the matchday 23 altogether. Moodie is joined by David Kriel in midfield this Saturday.
Elsewhere, Embrose Papier drops to the bench with ex-Stormers player Paul de Wet starting at scrum-half against his former club. He faces off with Cobus Reinach.
The Bulls retain a strong spine with Handré Pollard at fly-half, Willie le Roux at full-back, and Kriel at 12 as they look to manage a big derby meeting in Cape Town.
The all-Springbok front-row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, and Wilco Louw remains unchanged this week, providing stability up front to Ackermann.
Adjustments needed
Ackermann emphasised the importance of clarity and energy heading into action as they look to stun a Stormers side that has won seven out of seven URC matches.
“We’ve assessed the Sharks game and made adjustments where needed. Ruan’s leadership is vital, and bringing in players like Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden gives us the right balance for this contest. It’s about alignment and intensity as we start the year,” he said.
The Bulls will have to improve on recent showings if they are to shock the Stormers, with the Loftus Versfeld outfit sitting 12th on the table heading into the game.
Bulls team v Stormers
Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 David Kriel, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Khuta Mchunu, 19 Ruan Vermaak, 20 Reinhardt Ludwig, 21 Nizaam Carr, 22 Embrose Papier, 23 Devon Williams
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: 16.00 IRE & UK / 17.00 ITA / 18.00 SA
Referee: Griffin Colby (SARU, 10th league game)
Assistant Referees: Morne Ferreira (SARU), Sean Muller (SARU)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, TG4, Flo Rugby & URC TV
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.