The Vodacom Bulls have named their team to face the Toyota Cheetahs in Polokwane on Saturday.
Saracens & the Blue Bulls have also published a Vodacom Blue Bulls squad for the encounter the following week in London.
Toyota Cheetahs in Polokwane:
New Vodacom Bulls recruits Lappies Labuschagne and Trevor Nyakane will face their former Toyota Cheetahs teammates in Polokwane on Saturday when the two Vodacom Super Rugby sides clash in a friendly match in the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Flanker Labuschagne and Nyakane, who was selected at loosehead prop, moved north at the start of the season and will be part of the first hit-out of the season for the Pretoria side.
Nyakane will be part of an international front row, with former Springboks Werner Kruger and Bandise Maku also in the starting team. Springboks JJ Engelbrecht and Deon Stegmann are starting at centre and flank respectively, but Arno Botha and Piet van Zyl will play off the bench. It will be a first appearance for Botha after he ruptured knee ligaments at the same venue a year ago.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke is resting incumbent Springboks like Jan Serfontein and Victor Matfield, but still picked a very capable side packed with former Junior Springboks. Adriaan Strauss and Handrè Pollard is still recovering from light niggles and will only join the squad next week.
“We are all keen to get the season underway. It is a long season, but I am keen to give everyone a chance to play before we start our campaign,” Ludeke said.
“We will be looking to give more players a run when we play Saracens in London in two weeks. As for now, we will be using the match to measure our progress and to get guys like Lappies and Trevor a chance to settle into the new environment and team culture.”
Bulls: 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 William Small-Smith, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Deon Stegmann (Captain), 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Trevor Nyakane
Replacements (from): Callie Visagie, Mornè Mellett, Dayan vd Westhuizen, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Grant Hattingh, Roelof Smit, Nardus van der Walt, Arno Botha, Piet van Zyl, Tian Schoeman, Dan Kriel, Ulrich Beyers, Duncan Matthews, Jurgen Visser.
Date: Saturday 24 January
Venue: Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Kick-Off: 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT)
Referee:Ben Crouse
Vodacom Blue Bulls squad for Saracens:
Pierre Spies
Vodacom Bulls captain Pierre Spies is due to make his long-awaited comeback at Allianz Park outside London on Saturday 31 January, when the South Africans take on English Premiership club Saracens.
Spies has been included in the touring party and is expected to see some action on the field. The Vodacom Super Rugby centurion missed the biggest chunk of the 2014 season due to injury.
Handré Pollard is among 15 Springboks named in the squad. Pollard will return to action on Monday and will miss this weekend’s clash with the Toyota Cheetahs in Polokwane.
Frans Ludeke, Vodacom Bulls coach, said: “Saracens are closely followed and well supported throughout South Africa. They have been performing really well in the Premiership and the European Cup, and might easily have won both competitions last season. We look forward to a great game on the artificial turf at Allianz Park.”
Vodacom Blue Bulls Squad for Saracens: Jurgen Visser, Jesse Kriel, Akona Ndungane*, Bjorn Basson*, Travis Ismaiel, JJ Engelbrecht*, Jan Serfontein*, William Small-Smith, Handrè Pollard*, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Francois Hougaard*, Piet Van Zyl*, Rudy Paige, Pierre Spies*, Hanro Liebenberg, Lappies Labushagne, Deon Stegmann*, Roelof Smit, RG Snyman, Marvin Orie, Victor Matfield*, Grant Hattingh, Jacques Du Plessis, Trevor Nyakane*, Werner Kruger*, Dean Greyling*, Mornè Mellett, Marcel Van Der Merwe*, Bandise Maku*, Callie Visagie.
* denotes Springbok
Tickets for the game are still available by clicking here: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/saracens/details/event.aspx?itemref=2107
Date: Saturday 31 January
Venue: Allianz Park, London, England
Kick-Off: 15:15 BST (17:15 SA Time, 15:15 GMT)
Eish, not the best starters for the Cheetahs clash…
– Ismaiel – very suspect on the wing.
– Jamba Ulengo – little experience. Suppose one has to give him a go to see what he can do.
– Hanro Liebenberg – very young and raw but a good talent.
– Locks – Hope the Jacques du Plessis thing works well at No 4, he’ll have to stand in well for a couple of months there. Orie – eish I do not think he’ll cut the mustard.
– Front row – should be OK, seeing as Cheetahs front row is not too inspiring.
Will be very interesting to see how Lappies Labuschagne goes at blindside in combination with Stegmonster and the newbie (Hanro Liebenberg).
Altogether a very unsettled side and not much in the way of regular combinations playing, so considering it’s the start of the season, not the strongest side and the lack of combinations, I expect an error-ridden performance.
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The Squad of 28 for Sarries looks good, but they will be undercooked in match fitness compared to Sarries who is deep into their season. Considering that Sarries will have to also field a mix-and-match side against the Bulls, due to their other obligations and it being a week before the Six Nations start… should be interesting.
Stegmann and Ndugane are too old now, they can still be subs but we need younger players to start
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