Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke named an unchanged side for Saturday’s vital Absa Currie Cup clash against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld.

The same 22 that came so close to victory against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last weekend will again take the field, with Flip van der Merwe (neck), Dean Greyling (hand), Jaco Pretorius (thigh) and Jaco van der Westhuyzen (knee) all recovering from strains picked up in that match.

Deon Stegmann (hamstring), Fudge Mabeta (shoulder), Dewald Potgieter (knee), Frik Kirsten (chest) en Bandise Maku (shoulder) have not been considered, with Gurthrö Steenkamp still being rested after his long international season.

Ludeke said the players realise the importance of this match.

“A win could move us back into the top three. It will be tough though, as the Lions certainly have their tails up after five consecutive wins. I am happy that we focused on the right areas during our preparation this week. We will be looking to dominate the collisions on the weekend,” Ludeke said.

The Vodacom Blue Bulls team to play the Lions on Saturday September 18th, 2010 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17h05 is:

Zane Kirchner, Gerhard van den Heever, Jaco Pretorius, Stefan Watermeyer, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Francois Hougaard, Gerrit-Jan van Velze, CJ Stander, Derick Kuün (c), Juandré Kruger, Flip van der Merwe, Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dean Greyling. Replacements: Gary Botha, Rossouw de Klerk, Jaco Engels, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Okkie Kruger, Dustin Jinka, Stephan Dippenaar.

Leading points scorers for the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the 2010 competition are:
Jacques-Louis Potgieter 130
Dean Greyling 20
John Mametsa 20
Gerhard van den Heever 20