Serfontein jets home
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The Bulls have been dealt a huge blow for their last two games on tour, as midfielder Jan Serfontein has been ruled out for the remainder of the trip.
According to team doctor Orgg Strauss, Serfontein has picked up a grade one medial knee ligament injury, and he has already jetted back to South Africa to undergo further assessment and treatment.
This has left a a big gap in the midfield for the Bulls, as Serfontein has been instrumental for the Pretoria outfit, scoring a try against the Chiefs, and a double against the Blues the week before.
Jurgen Visser will be flying over as cover for Serfontein. The thinking behind this is that Jesse Kriel also picked up a niggle in the match (contusion on the knee), and Visser can provide cover at fullback. Handre Pollard can slot in at No.12 if need be and Jacques-Louis Potgieter covers flyhalf.
With Serfontein out, it will give an opportunity to the young Burger Odendaal, who has impressed as a bruising runner and defender when he has had the chance to show what he has got.
There are other worries in the Bulls camp as Trevor Nyakane is suffering from a bruised hip and Pieter Labuschagne a trachea contusion.
Strauss also confirmed though that Kriel and Nyakane trained on Monday, and Labuschagne will train on Tuesday.
After losing both their games in New Zealand, 20-34 to the Chiefs and 18-23 to the Blues, the Bulls now cross the Tasman sea to face the Brumbies in Canberra and the Rebels in Melbourne.
Coach Frans Ludeke is still positive his team can hit back in Australia.
"We have crucial games left on the tour and we've taken a lot from this game," Ludeke said, adding: "It is obviously not the result that we wanted but we need to stay positive and need to bounce back next week.
"It is still our goal to get two wins on tour, the New Zealand leg in terms of that wasn't successful, so it makes it so much more crucial against the Brumbies next weekend."
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