PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - FEBRUARY 22: Henco van Wyk of the Emirates Lions tries to tackle Canan Moodie of the Vodacom Blue Bulls during the United Rugby Championship match between Vodacom Bulls and Emirates Lions at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on February 22, 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Gordon Arons/Gallo Images)
The Bulls have shuffled their front and backline for their all-important United Rugby Championship clash with the Sharks at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 5pm).
Should the Sharks win in Pretoria, they will likely defend their maiden URC South African Shield title from last year.
But they head into the match after a 34-22 defeat to the Lions last week, while the Bulls come out of their break after a 52-17 thrashing of the same team in Johannesburg last month.
The Bulls must also win to keep their title hopes alive.
See here for the Sharks team.
New wing pairing
The most significant shift occurs in the back three. David Kriel moves from the bench to take over the fullback jersey from Devon Williams. He is joined by a new-look wing pairing of Sebastian de Klerk and Kurt-Lee Arendse out wide.
While the halfback pairing of Embrose Papier and Handré Pollard remains the stable core of the attack, the midfield sees Harold Vorster retain his spot, though he now partners with the returning Canan Moodie as Stedman Gans drops out of the matchday squad.
Up front, coach Johan Ackermann has also opted for rotation.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels shifts from loosehead prop to hooker, making room for Alulutho Tshakweni to start at loosehead. Morné Smith also moves into the starting line-up at tighthead, swapping roles with Wilco Louw, who provides cover from the bench this week.
The second row sees Ruan Nortjé return to partner Ruan Vermaak, replacing Reinhardt Ludwig. In the loose trio, Nizaam Carr earns a start at eighthman, which sees Jeandré Rudolph move to the replacements.
Captain Marcell Coetzee and Elrich Louw continue their hard-hitting partnership on the flanks.
The replacements’ bench features heavy international experience and versatility. Willie le Roux and Paul de Wet provide specialist cover for the backline, while Stravino Jacobs moves to the impact role after starting last month.
Springboks Marco van Staden and Cobus Wiese remain the go-to options for forward reinforcements.
For the URC’s Origins Round, Grey College (Bloemfontein), Paarl Gym and Boland Landbou are the most represented schools in the line-up, each appearing twice.
Bulls starting XV
15 David Kriel (Grey Bloem), 14 Sebastian de Klerk (Boland Landbou), 13 Canan Moodie (Boland Landbou), 12 Harold Vorster (Frans du Toit, Phalaborwa), 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Paulus Joubert), 10 Handré Pollard (Paarl Gym), 9 Embrose Papier (Garsfontein); 1 Alulutho Tshakweni (Hudson Park High School), 2 Jan Hendrik Wessels (Grey Bloem), 3 Morne Smith (Eldoraigne), 4 Ruan Vermaak (Monument), 5 Ruan Nortje (Wonderboom), 6 Marcell Coetzee (Captain, Port Natal), 7 Elrich Louw (Transvalia), 8 Nizaam Carr (Bishops).
Replacements
16 Marco van Staden (Bekker Landbou), 17 Sti Sithole (Westville), 18 Wilco Louw (HTS Drostdy), 19 Cobus Wiese (Upington), 20 Jeandre Rudolph (Oakdale), 21 Paul de Wet (Paarl Boys High), 22 Willie le Roux (Paul Roos), 23 Stravino Jacobs (Paarl Gym).
Unavailable: Akker van der Merwe, Sintu Manjezi, Cameron Hanekom, Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar.
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