Bulls v Sharks - Teams and Prediction

SEMIFINAL PREVIEW: The stage is set for another epic United Rugby Championship clash in the heart of Pretoria when the Bulls host the Sharks in the second semifinal of the tournament at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

This semifinal guarantees that a South African team will fight for the URC crown once again.

This isn’t the first time these teams have been in a nail-biter in the URC knockout rounds.

Fans will recall their epic clash during the inaugural season – a match that saw the Bulls defeat the Sharks 30-27, sealed by a last-gasp drop goal from Chris Smith. That game, played in front of over 22,000 spectators during Covid restrictions, kept fans on edge as the sides remained deadlocked at both halftime and the final whistle.

The Bulls, recovering from a tense start, flexed their muscles against Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, while the Sharks had to dig deep to outlast Munster in a nail-biting penalty shootout after 100 minutes of play.

With history, form, and rivalry all adding layers to this explosive semifinal, this one promises to be one for the books.

To add another layer to the already tense build-up, the Sharks’ inspiring captain Eben Etzebeth had to withdraw from the clash due to a concerning head knock.

And on the other side of the team sheets, the Bulls welcome back the experienced Johan Goosen at flyhalf, which sees the young prospect Keagan Johannes move to the bench.

“He [Goosen] is ready. It’s like he hasn’t been away.

“You need your best players fit and ready at these end-of-season games. It’s good having him back as our number one, and we’ve got Keagan, who did well for us, on the bench,” Jake White, the Director of Rugby, said on Friday morning.

“I have no doubt he will settle in quickly.”

Looking ahead at the game and what to expect from the Sharks, White was very forthright in his estimation, singing the praises of the Bok-laden Durbanites.

“They play well in big games. Whether it’s the Challenge Cup final or any other big game, they’ve played well.

“I don’t think it is going to be easy, not for one minute.

“They’ve beaten us twice this year. There’s a reason they beat us – they’ve got a good team.

“I’m expecting it to be as tough as it can be, and we have to make sure we play as well as we can. And I have no doubt, if we play as well as we can, we can beat them,” White summed it up.

Ideally, the Bulls would want to start better than they did last weekend, but White has an interesting theory around that.

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“That’s the one recipe coaches wish they could buy. Every coach says they want a flying start and want to put them under pressure. There is no secret ingredient or magic wand for that.

“Last week we started poorly, and we had to catch up. We learnt a lesson from the previous Edinburgh game because were were 7-24 down in that game too.

“And part of rugby, which is never going to change, is that you need to learn from the situations you are in. And that’s why teams that play together for so long become so much better.

“Unfortunately, there is no recipe for how you start well or how you start badly,” White commented.

Bulls captain Ruan Nortje compared the week building up to the semifinal to a Test week.

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“Whenever we get into playoffs, we always try to get ourselves in the headspace of Test-match level preparation.

“Last week we had the same mentality, and this week again, it’s the same.

“It’s just a South African derby, it adds a bit more fuel and tension, and excitement. We must ensure we get our game plan ready and that we’re mentally ready.”

Nortje is aware of the challenge posed by a Sharks side buoyed by a dramatic victory in Durban. “The Sharks have proven themselves in the last few games. They’ll come with a lot of confidence that they’ve earned. It’s all about mentally being switched on from minute one.

“This weekend is going to be very important for us to make sure we don’t get any of those 20- or 10-minute lapses in the game. It’s all going to be mental.”

The Sharks impressed with their scrum dominance against Munster, noted Nortje: “The Sharks were brilliant scrum-wise last weekend. I think that’s a massive part of what brought them to the end of that game, so I must give them credit for that, and for the whole front row.

“It’s going to be a massive set-piece battle. We can only prepare as well as we can and make sure we’re ready when Saturday comes. We just have to be composed and make swift changes on the field; be ready for anything, and expect anything.”

Meanwhile, Sharks coach John Plumtree explained how every battle is different and it’s not just about scrummaging.

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“Eben is probably the best lock in the world, so it’s a big loss, but the thing is it’s a team game; one person doesn’t make this team, and we’ve won games without him this year,” the coach said.

The absence of Etzebeth as well as Jason Jenkins sees Corne Rahl come in for the former, with Siya Kolisi assuming captaincy duties, and Emile van Heerden replaces Jenkins.

“Jason is a big loss for us, too. He played a pivotal role for us, with Eben being out for so much; he’s played at four, and he’s played at five,” Plumtree said.

“It’s disappointing not to see him in the Springbok squad at the moment as well. I think he deserves to be there.”

“Big games like this, it’s often your easiest week as a coach; the players are all excited about the opportunity.

“We have to lighten the load a lot around our preparation based on what happened last weekend, but they’re feeling good.”

Talking about the Bulls and what it is to be expected from them this weekend, Plumtree said it is not all about the scrums.

“Yeah, not just front-foot ball but also the psychological battle, and that’s what it’s all about, these big contests. [The Bulls] are not just a scrummaging team, they’re a good set-piece team, particularly at Loftus.

“These are big derby games, aren’t they? The Sharks-Bulls game at Loftus, everyone in Durban, I’d say, will be watching that game of rugby because it’s based on the contests, what contests there have been over the years, and there’s been some great contests.”

The last word goes to Kolisi, who was asked if he would prefer a win like the penalty shoot-out last weekend, or a simple win: “No matter how the win comes, as long as it comes, I don’t mind, if it’s dramatic or not dramatic. We just want to win.”

Prediction

@rugby365com: Bulls by four points

Teams

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Ruan Nortje (captain), 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Devon Williams.

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 James Venter, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Corne’ Rahl, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Deon Slabbert, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Jurenzo Julius, 23 Yaw Penxe.

Date: Saturday, June 7
Venue: Loftus Versveld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 18.15 (16.15 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Adam Jones (Wales)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)