Piet van Zyl
Jan Serfontein
Springbok halfback Piet van Zyl will earn a 3rd start for the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday when the Pretoria franchise play the DHL Stormers in Cape Town in a crucial Vodacom Super Rugby clash.
Van Zyl, who started against the coastal side in the season’s opener in February, comes in for injured Rudy Paige, while coach Frans Ludeke added another Springbok, midfielder Jan Serfontein, to his starting team at DHL Newlands.
The incumbent Springbok centre is fit again after a hip flexor injury and will start in place of Burger Odendaal, who deputised for Serfontein the last 4 Rounds.
The rest of the match day squad is the same one which conquered the Cell C Sharks in Durban last weekend, bar Akona Ndungane, who will take up Van Zyl’s spot on the bench.
The centurion winger will make a 1st appearance in this year’s competition if called into action from the bench. He earned his last and 108th cap in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition in the final pool match of the 2014 competition against the same opponent and at the same venue.
Ludeke is well aware of the massive challenge that awaits his side against the Stormers, who are just 2 points behind the Vodacom Bulls on the Combined Log and South African Conference Points Log.
“It does not come bigger than facing the Stormers in Cape Town. As our luck would have it, they have won their last 2 matches on tour in Australia and is playing at home for the 1st time in 5 weeks, so will be up for it. If we want to be a champion side, we will need to respond to this in a champion’s way,” the coach said.
Vodacom Bulls captain Pierre Spies pointed to the set-piece as a possible match clincher.
“They outplayed us in the opening Round, mainly because our set-piece was not as good. We have worked pretty hard since then and I honestly think our pack can now be measured against the best ones out there, especially since we have the likes of Flip van der Merwe and Arno Botha back to full fitness. We will have to be up for it and judging from training this week, we will.”
Vodacom Bulls (with Super Rugby caps): 15 Jesse Kriel (10), 14 Francois Hougaard (81), 13 JJ Engelbrecht (58), 12 Jan Serfontein (33), 11 Bjorn Basson (80), 10 Handré Pollard (20), 9 Piet van Zyl (52), 8 Pierre Spies (Captain, 112), 7 Jacques du Plessis (24), 6 Deon Stegmann (88), 5 Grant Hattingh (43), 4 Flip van der Merwe (74), 3 Marcel van der Merwe (26), 2 Adriaan Strauss (113), 1 Dean Greyling (62)
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie (44), 17 Morné Mellett (33), 18 Trevor Nyakane (51), 19 Arno Botha (26), 20 Lappies Labuschagne (33), 21 Akona Ndungane (108), 22 Tian Schoeman (3), 23 Jurgen Visser (29).
Date: Saturday 25 April
Venue: DHL Newlands, Cape town
Kick-Off: 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, Sunday 03:10 AEST, Sunday 05:10 NZ Time)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Referees: Jason Jaftha, Francois Pretorious
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
Notes:
- Akona Ndungane comes into the match day squad for the 1st time this season. He last played Super Rugby for the Vodacom Bulls on 5 July 2014, against the Stormers.
- A fit-again Jan Serfontein returns to the midfield, where he will partner JJ Engelbrecht for the 6th time this season and thus replacing Burger Odendaal.
- Piet van Zyl will make a 3rd start for the Vodacom Bulls this season, moving from the bench to replace the injured Rudy Paige.
Springbok skrumskakel Piet van Zyl sal Saterdag in Kaapstad teen die DHL Stormers vir die 3de keer vanjaar in die beginspan op skrumskakel uitdraf.
Van Zyl, wat ook in die openingswedstryd van die Vodacom Super Rugby toernooi teen die Kaapse span op Loftus Versfeld begin het, vervang die beseerde Rudy Paige in 1 van 2 skuiwe in die span wat die Cell C Sharks verlede naweek getroef het.
In ‘n ongedwonge skuif sal Jan Serfontein weer op senter uitdraf. Serfontein het die laaste maand se aksie weens ‘n heupbesering misgeloop en vervang Burger Odendaal wat uit die wedstrydgroep val.
Van Zyl se plek op die plaasvervangerbank word deur Akona Ndungane ingeneem. Die veteraan sal sy 1ste verskyning in vanjaar se reeks maak, met sy vorige (en 108ste) verskyning vir die Bulls verlede jaar in Julie teen die Stormers.
Die Vodacom Bulls-afrigter, Frans Ludeke, voorspel dit gaan ‘n reuse stryd wees.
“Daar is nie groter wedstryde as die een een nie en dit is net ons geluk dat die Stormers hulle laaste 2 wedstryde op toer gewen het en nou boonop terug is op hul tuisveld. Hulle sal stert in die lug wees, maar as ons die kampioenspan wil wees, moet ons sulke uitdagings kan oorbrug.”
Pierre Spies, kaptein van die Vodacom Bulls, glo die vaste fassette kan ‘n deurslaggewende faktor in die wedstryd wees.
“Hulle het ons daar geklop in die 1ste ontmoeting, veral omdat ons spel in die vaste fasette daardie dag nie goed was nie. Ons het egter hard gewerk en ek dink ons pak kan nou met enige ander saamgesels, veral omdat spelers soos Flip van der Merwe en Arno Botha ook weer fiks is. Ons moet eenvoudig opdaag en ons wil afdwing en gegewe die intenstiteit waarmee ons geoefen het, is ek vol moed,” het Spies gesê.
Vodacom Bulls (met Super Rugby wedstryde): 15 Jesse Kriel (10), 14 Francois Hougaard (81), 13 JJ Engelbrecht (58), 12 Jan Serfontein (33), 11 Bjorn Basson (80), 10 Handré Pollard (20), 9 Piet van Zyl (52), 8 Pierre Spies (Kaptein, 112), 7 Jacques du Plessis (24), 6 Deon Stegmann (88), 5 Grant Hattingh (43), 4 Flip van der Merwe (74), 3 Marcel van der Merwe (26), 2 Adriaan Strauss (113), 1 Dean Greyling (62)
Plaasvervangers: 16 Callie Visagie (44), 17 Morné Mellett (33), 18 Trevor Nyakane (51), 19 Arno Botha (26), 20 Lappies Labuschagne (33), 21 Akona Ndungane (108), 22 Tian Schoeman (3), 23 Jurgen Visser (29).
Datum: Saterdag 25 April
Plek: DHL Newlands, Cape town
Afskop: 19:10 SA Tyd (17:10 GMT, Sondag 03:10 AEST, Sondag 05:10 NS Tyd)
Skeidsregter: Jaco Peyper
Assistent Skeidsregters: Jason Jaftha, Francois Pretorious
TWB: Shaun Veldsman