Lappies gets openside role
Springbok training squad member Pieter Labuschagne will fulfil the openside role when the Bulls start their Australasian tour with a match against the Blues in Auckland on Friday.
Labuschagne, who was part of the Bok set-up last year and against training with the national squad at a pre-World Cup camp in Johannesburg earlier this month, has yet to earn his first Bok cap.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke, in naming his team for the tour opener on Friday, confirmed that Labuschagne will again be entrusted with the openside role – a selection that worked well in their last outing, a 35-33 win over the Lions a fortnight ago.
Coming off last week's bye, the Bulls will also have regular captain Pierre Spies is back at No.8.
Spies played as a replacement in the win over the Lions in Pretoria.
His inclusion at the back of the scrum will see Arno Botha move to the side of the scrum, with Jacques du Plessis moving to the bench.
In the only change in the backline, Rudy Paige returns from injury and comes back at scrumhalf in place of injured Piet van Zyl.
There are four changes on the bench.
Dean Greyling has recovered from a recent car accident and comes in for Morné Mellett.
A fit-again Werner Kruger will replace Andrew Beerwinkel as the other front row replacement. It will be Kruger's first appearance since the opening round of the tournament when he injured his ankle against the Stormers in February.
Amongst the backs, Jacques-Louis Potgieter is fit again following a hamstring strain and replace Tian Schoeman.
Travis Ismaiel comes in for Jurgen Visser.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said the returning players will add depth to the squad for what will be a very testing tour.
"At this stage of the competition you need to be playing your best rugby and have great momentum," Ludeke said.
"We are pretty close to that and we cannot afford to slip up if we want to stay in the play-off race," the Bulls coach said.
"That said, we are playing a very dangerous team so will have to execute very well."
Bulls: 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Pieter Labuschagne, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Flip van de Merwe, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Dean Greyling, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Jacques du Plessis, 20 Deon Stegmann, 21 Burger Odendaal, 22 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 23 Travis Ismaiel.
Date: Friday, May 15
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19.35 (09.35 SA time; 07.35 GMT)
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant referees: Nick Briant, Aki Aso
TMO: Glenn Newman
