Coetzee in No.8 'trial' for the Bulls
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White has made a few interesting selections for the Rainbow Cup crunch match with the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday.
The most significant is the decision to name Springbok loose forward Marcell Coetzee at No.8 in place of the injured Duane Vermeulen.
Coetzee also takes over the captaincy.
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber revealed that Coetzee – who is on the fringes of national team selection – requires game time after a lengthy injury layoff before moving from Munster to the Bulls.
It will certainly aid Coetzee’s cause for a belated Bok recall if he performs well in the No.8 jersey.
The injury of Vermeulen, who underwent ankle surgery this week, resulted in a reshuffle of the loose forwards
Ruan Nortje was shifted to blindside flank, opening up space for lock Janko Swanepoel to start in the engine room.
Nortje’s move to the side of the scrum is a result of the injury to Elrigh Louw, while Marco van Staden will play on the openside flank against their Durban-based opposition.
The rest of the starting line-up remains unchanged.
Springbok Nizaam Carr and Junior Springbok Muller Uys have received call ups to take the places of Swanepoel and Van Staden on the bench respectively.
Bulls: 15 David Kriel, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 7 Ruan Nortje, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Janko Swanepoel, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements – from: 16 Schalk Erasmus, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Muller Uys, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Clinton Swart, 23 Gio Aplon, 24 Robert Hunt, 25 Jan Uys, 26 Dawid Kellerman, 27 Richard Kriel.
Date: Saturday, June 12
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 18.15 (16.15 GMT)
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper, Griffin Colby
TMO: Stuart Berry
