Bulls bruiser ruled out
Bulls lock Flip van der Merwe has been ruled out of the clash with the Lions at Loftus Versfeld this weekend due to a hip injury.
Van der Merwe sustained the injury against the Sharks in Durban last week and will not recover in time for the weekend's clash according to Bulls team doctor Org Strauss.
"Flip had a scan on Monday and it confirmed the injury. He will miss a week of rugby," Strauss said.
This means that Wilhelm Steenkamp is likely to partner Juandre Kruger in the second row as the Bulls seek to book a spot in the play-offs with a victory over the Lions at home.
No other injuries have been reported from the side that travelled to Durban, with openside flank Deon Stegmann expected to return to the matchday 22 after a lengthy injuury lay-off..
