New captain for Bulls' quarterfinal
The Bulls have been given a timely boost by the return to full-match fitness of Springbok Ruan Nortje, who will don the captain’s armband in the EPCR quarterfinal clash on Saturday.
Nortje returns to lead the troops when the Tshwane outfit takes on Scottish side Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Stadium on Saturday.
The Springbok lock returns to the starting XV to marshal the line-outs alongside his understudy and Junior Springbok, JF van Heerden.
Other changes to the forwards pack see Marcell Coetzee shifting from No.8 to the role of loose forward, pairing up with 2019-20 Champions Cup winner Jannes Kirsten.
That shift sees Cameron Hanekom return to the starting line-up in his regular eighth-man role.
At the front, the trio of Simphiwe Matanzima, Akker van der Merwe and Wilco Louw remains unchanged from the Round of 16.
Director of Rugby Jake White has retained the services of the same back line of Zak Burger, Keagan Johannes, Stravino Jacobs, Harold Vorster, David Kriel, Sergeal Petersen and Devon Williams, who all did duty in France.
White has also made adjustments to the impact squad, adding the Springbok duo of Johann Grobbelaar and Canan Moodie, both returning to action after a few weeks of being on the sidelines.
The rest of the five-three split standby crew also features Jan-hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith, Reinhardt Ludwig, Marco van Staden, Embrose Papier and Johan Goosen.
White says the team will borrow from last weekend’s victory as they look to further their stay in the competition.
“Last week’s result was massive. To get an away win in France is a big deal, especially because Bayonne are a strong outfit that sits fourth in their league.
“That winning feeling is something you cannot bottle, but it has given us confidence, and the vibe in the camp is upbeat.
“We have a nice environment and it gives us a nice feeling as a group.
“I am really happy we got that win, and we must now take that momentum into this week.”
Head-to-Head
Last 4 Meetings
Bulls:15 Devon Williams, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Nortjé, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima.
Replacements: 16 Johann Grobbelaar, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Canan Moodie.
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Edinburgh Stadium, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 12.30 (13.30 SA time; 11.30 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Luc Ramos (France), Kevin Bralley (France)
TMO: Taul Trainini
Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)
