Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse are sidelined from Friday’s URC encounter against the Scarlets for the Springboks, while Johan Goosen will start at No. 15 for the Bulls.
The Bulls have announced their matchday squad for their United Rugby Championship match against the Scarlets at Llanelli, Wales during Round 13 of the competition.
Goosen, who can play across the backline but has been largely utilized as a flyhalf during his career, has now been charged with covering at the back as the Bulls coaches have selected him at fullback.
Whether they honestly believe he brings the most value to that position or whether it is a tactic to get him into Springbok contention is unknown.
With Goosen at No. 15, Chris Smith is selected for the flyhalf position. David Kriel and Stravino Jacobs will start in place of Moodie and Arendse due to the rotation strategy mandated by SA Rugby for Springbok players.
Harold Vorster and Lionel Mapoe form the center pairing, while Zac Burger is the starting scrumhalf.
Ruan Nortje will once again captain the team, with Ruan Vermaak partnering him in the second row. The front row is composed of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johann Grobbelaar, and Mornay Smith.
The loose three of Marco van Staden, Cyle Brink, and Elrigh Louw will contribute to the strength of the forwards pack.
Jan-Hendrick Wessels, Simphiwe Matanzima, Francois Klopper, Janko Swaneel, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Cornal Hendricks, and Wandisile Simelane will be available off the bench for Pretoria.
This will be the second meeting between these two teams. The Welsh side will be hoping to rebound from consecutive league defeats, while the Bulls will be looking to make it two wins from two in the competition.
The combination of Smith and Goosen, according to Bulls backline coach Chris Rossouw, helps the team to utilize the double-kicking options in this URC match. Rossouw also emphasized the need of confidence entering a match against a balanced and confident Scarlets team.
“Reflecting on the last month, I believe our confidence level was strong last week. “Against the Dragons, after falling behind the Stormers and the Sharks, the guys regrouped and were outstanding in how they managed the game with great confidence and energy,” Rossouw remarked.
Many of us who were visiting France for the first time found it to be an excellent learning experience.
“We are all aware that the Scarlets are on a roll at the moment, but despite this, there is a positive vibe in our camp and it almost feels like a change of season for us as well. “Confidence will be essential, but execution and clinical play on the night will be far more crucial.”
“Scarlets are recognized as an aggressive team. Over the past two months, they have found a balance between their attacking and kicking style. How we manage this will be vital to ensuring that we do not get pinned in our own half.
The fact that they have a strong pack of forwards and an experienced backline remains one of their strengths, therefore it is crucial that we handle the kicking game as a whole.
“We are all aware that it begins there; we must be physical and look to dominate the collisions in order to gain momentum. This will be one of our focal points. We are aware that they have some good runners and that their big men have the capacity to unload in tackles, so we must ensure that we identify these players and minimize their opportunities through our tackle techniques.”
“We must bring the physicality that we know the South African boys are capable of bringing,”
Overall United Rugby Championship head-to-head record: Bulls have played one game and won one.
BULLS TEAM TO FACE SCARLETS IN URC Bulls — 15 Johan Goosen, 14 David Kriel, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (captain), 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johann Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Subs: 16 Jan-Hendrick Wessels, The lineup is as follows: 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Cornal Hendricks, and 23 Wandisile Simelane.
»Bok usefulness continues for the Bulls at fullback«