Five players who will give the Bulls an edge against All Blacks
OPINION: The Bulls team to face the All Blacks in the third match of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series will not only offer more resistance than the Sharks did in their 54-0 blanking by New Zealand at Kings Park on Tuesday, but are also equipped to be really competitive at Loftus on Saturday.
Johan Ackermann named six Springboks in his side to face Dave Rennie’s men in the last run-out before the New Zealanders take on the Springboks in a blockbuster battle at Ellis Park on August 22, while the overall team has a strong United Rugby Championship flavour. Elrigh Louw and Johan Grobbelaar were added to the squad on Friday after being released to the Bulls.
The duo can provide a massive boost for the Bulls in the later stages of the game, especially considering how important a sustained, 80-minute performance is against the visitors. The hosts will also be keen to prove that they can go the full distance after their struggles with maintaining the intensity for a full match reared its head regularly last season.
In the series-opener, the Stormers were thumped 21-38 by the All Blacks after imploding in the last 15 minutes, mainly due to the disruption the injuries to scrumhalves Imad Khan and Dewaldt Duvenage brought to their backline. New Zealand went on to score three tries to break free from the 14-14 deadlock the hosts held them to up until that point.
The Sharks, however, offered little more than an opposed training session as they were thrashed by a near full-strength All Blacks side in wet conditions.
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Granted, nobody could really expect anything else given the make-up of their Springbok-stripped squad, although there were a number of exciting youngsters in the mix.
The fact that Rennie has made 19 changes to the side for the Bulls clash makes it clear that he’s managing his players ahead of the Bok Tests, but it may also hint at one final opportunity for fringe players to stake a claim against the world champions.
The weakened team, if you can call it that does, however, include Cam Roigard, and Ardie Savea, who are set to get their first minutes on this tour.
While Ackermann didn’t speak favourably about the timing of the fixture, saying that preparation for Saturday’s game has disrupted their pre-season preparations, he nonetheless named his strongest available squad.
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We look at five players who’ll ensure the Bulls put up a fight against the men in black.
Embrose Papier
No player in the Bulls squad can influence this game more than the Springbok scrumhalf.
The URC SA Player of the Season was the standout performer for the Pretoria side during the competition and was finally rewarded with a Springbok recall after years of consistently brilliant efforts for the Bulls.
While he didn’t get ample opportunity to impress in the national colours after being released from the Bok group after running out against Scotland and showing glimpses of his striking ability in the form of a fantastic solo try to get the Boks on the scoreboard, anybody who has seen him play a single quarter would be able to attest to his potency.
His vision, pace, and split-second reaction and decision-making will be vital against the All Blacks, who again showed how their support play – even in wet and scrappy conditions – makes scoring tries look easy against the Sharks.
The blitzing nature of his game and knack for catching defences off guard around the fringes will always be an asset, but against opposition like this, it’s his eye for spotting opportunities where only the slightest exist that will be most valuable.
Papier’s level of game-breaking ability will never be more handy than against the All Blacks.
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Jeandre Rudolph
No player was more threatening at the breakdown in the URC than Rudolph.
The loose forward won the most turnovers, 21, in the competition, and it’s a trait that will be crucial against the All Blacks.
While their game against JP Pietersen’s men wasn’t built on scoring tries from breakdown pressure, with only one of their eight tries coming directly after a ruck close to the try line, it’s still an area where the All Blacks can punish opposition teams, so saying that the master jackal’s breakdown brawn will be important is an understatement. Even if they string together multi-phase play like they did in their last outing, Rudolph will be the Bulls’ man to curb their attack in that regard as well.
New Zealand regularly state a 98 percent success rate at winning their rucks, but if there’s one man who can prove a real nuisance in that area, it’s him.
Besides his breakdown prowess, the former journeyman also brings real presence with his carrying and defensive abilities.
He’s an all-round threat.
Marcell Coetzee
Coetzee may not be the only Springbok in the Bulls team, but he is one of only three who have played against New Zealand before.
His leadership will be one of the most important factors, especially when his team – featuring a number of youngsters – is challenged.
The flanker has faced the All Blacks four times, and his work rate, physicality, hard ball-carrying, and overall gain line hunger can certainly rattle and commit desperate and overzealous All Blacks fringe players.
After a big URC season, he has an opportunity to lay the foundation for another impressive campaign.
Willie le Roux
The international fullback’s positional mastery and Test experience will anchor the back three filled with X-factor and pace, and his Springbok presence in this game cannot be underplayed.
Le Roux provides a steady hand in any backline’s organisation, and while he is still one of South Africa’s most polarising players even after more than 100 Test caps, his ability to read the game is one of his finest crafts.
His Bok teammates often praise his communication and how he makes players around him look good, and whatever your take on the 36-year-old, there’s no denying what the Assist King does for a team’s attack when he’s hot.
Curwin Bosch
The forgotten Springbok will have all eyes on him.
Bosch last played for the Boks in 2018 and earned just two Test caps before leaving for France, where he played for Brive in the French second division.
While he didn’t become a regular Springbok, his talent, exceptional attacking mind, and skillset are impossible to forget.
His running game versus the All Blacks defence is a salivating prospect all on its own, his hands and footwork can unlock all sorts of trickery, and his big tactical boot can get the Bulls into prime areas in New Zealand’s backfield.
Earlier this week, the 29-year-old said he still harbours international ambitions and believes his best is good enough for the Boks. Nobody can argue that, and reintroducing himself against the Springboks’ greatest rivals is the ultimate stage to do it make that statement.
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