Pumas make midfield change for Bulls clash
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Pumas head coach, Jimmy Stonehouse, opted for consistency in selection for their final Currie Cup match of the season, against the Bulls in Nelspruit on Sunday, making only one personnel change in the starting team.
Alwayno Visagie is promoted from the replacements bench to the run-on team in place of Erich Cronje at outside centre.
The only other difference to the starting XV that went down 25-33 against the Lions last week, was in the engine room where locks Pieter Jansen van Vuren and Darrien Landsberg switch numbers.
Stonehouse’s bench, meanwhile, shows four changes with Heath Backhouse and Liam Hendricks (both props), Giovan Snyman (scrumhalf) and Sebastian de Klerk (centre) – a former Bulls Under-21 player – being drafted in.
While the outcome of the match will have no impact on the teams’ log positions, the Pumas will be keen to finish the season a high against the table-topping Bulls, especially after narrow defeats in their last two outings.
Pumas: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Luther Obi, 13 Alwayno Visagie, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Etienne Taljaard, 10 Devon Williams, 9 Ginter Smuts, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Phumzile Maqondwana, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Pieter Jansen van Vuren (captain), 3 Ignatius Prinsloo, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Morgan Naude.
Replacements: 16 AJ le Roux, 17 Eduan Swart, 18 Heath Backhouse, 19 Francois Kleinhans, 20 Giovan Snyman, 21 Tiaan Botes, 22 Sebastian de Klerk, 23 Liam Hendricks.
Date: Sunday, January 10
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 16.00 (14.00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Referees: Rasta Rasivhenge. AJ Jacobs
TMO: Johan Greeff
