The four South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams will return to the field in full swing on Saturday for first the first time since early December. The Vodacom Bulls will host the Cell C Sharks this afternoon at Loftus Versveld @ 17h00.
The Vodacom Bulls will be desperate to bounce back from successive defeats as they go in search of their second win of the season against the DHL Stormers at Loftus Versfeld, but with the Capetonians boasting one win and a draw in their five matches, they will also be determined to build winning momentum early in the new year.
"Strange" selections could be the determining factor in this expected brutal battle. The Stormers decision to appoint both Kitshoof and Moerat as captains could only lead to some tension on the field while the Bulls selection of Ludwig in place of regular captain Coetzee is "strange" but with Coetzee on the bench could be fixed quickly.
The bench of the Bulls can/will close out a close game in a conservative yet effective manner. The Stormers' bench, on the other hand, will look to speed up the game at the end trying to overrun their opponents with speed, handling and excitement.
The Bulls will look to start their game in the same manner as their Currie Cup team did against Western Province on Wednesday, however, today it will not be children against men and a runaway start will not be possible.
Expect a royal battle upfront early on with the battle in the front row not already decided as the Bulls supporters would have everybody believe.
This game could prove to be one of upsets.
Vodacom Bulls flanker, Reinhardt Ludwig, will make his Vodacom United Rugby Championship. The 19-year-old, who has been a key figure in the Vodacom Bulls’ Under-20 side over the past year, is an exciting addition to a strong Vodacom Bulls side that will look to begin their 2022 campaign in the cross-hemisphere competition. There will be no shortage of experience alongside him, with Arno Botha starting at openside flanker while Elrigh Louw will at No8.
Springbok centre, Cornal Hendricks, will captain the side this weekend.
Tighthead prop, Mornay Smith, will make a return to the starting XV, where he will buckle down alongside loosehead prop, Gerhard Steenekamp, and hooker, Johan Grobbelaar, to make up the front row trio.
David Kriel makes a return to the familiar fullback position, combining with wingers, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Madosh Tambwe, to make up the back three.
Vodacom Bulls director of rugby, Jake White said: “The rivalry between the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers always sets us up for an exhilarating encounter. This weekend will be no different, and to begin the year in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship against a quality side like the DHL Stormers will be important in determining where we are as a team after the end-year break.
“While we look forward to entertaining the 2000 spectators who will be at Loftus Versfeld, we can only hope that we will soon see the numbers increase and we return to some form of normality, which is important for commercially, for sponsors, fans and all rugby stakeholders.”
Steven Kitshoff and Salmaan Moerat will co-captain the DHL Stormers today.
Springbok stalwart Kitshoff is set to make his first Vodacom United Rugby Championship appearance in the North-South clash, which kicks off at 17h05 on Saturday in Pretoria.
The experienced prop will join forces with lock Moerat in a joint leadership role which will see them share responsibilities on and off the pitch.
Fullback Damian Willemse and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies will also feature for the first time in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship as they take their places in the starting line-up.
Loose forwards Deon Fourie and Hacjivah Dayimani both make their return from injury having featured for DHL Western Province in their Carling Currie Cup opener last week, with Fourie joining Evan Roos and Ernst van Rhyn in the loose trio and Dayimani set to make an impact off the replacements bench.
Moerat will link up with Springbok Marvin Orie in the second row, while Scarra Ntubeni and Sazi Sandi are alongside Kitshoff upfront.
The backline features two former Springbok Sevens stars in Seabelo Senatla and Ruhan Nel, while Warrick Gelant is poised to be unleashed from the bench when the game opens up in the second half.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that after a few weeks of hard training, his team is itching to get out there and put their plans into action.
“It has been good to have this break and evaluate where we want to improve as a team, now it is about going out there and executing those plans accurately.
“The players have trained well and everyone is very motivated to show what we are capable of up in Pretoria this weekend,” he said.
Dobson added that with two Springbok fullbacks in the squad, there is a plan to get the most out of both Willemse and Gelant going forward.
“We have two exceptional talents in Damian and Warrick and we have mapped out a way to make the most of that over the next few weeks, which is a crucial period for us. Both of them have bought in and are excited about making as big an impact as possible,” he said.
Weather: 22° Celsius, cloudy with no rain expected and a moderated easterly wind
Prediction: Vodacom Bulls by 12
Vodacom Bulls: 15. David Kriel, 14. Madosh Tambwe, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Cornal Hendricks (c), 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Embrose Papier, 8. Elrich Louw, 7. Reinhard Ludwig, 6. Arno Botha, 5. Ruan Nortje, 4. Walt Steenkamp, 3. Mornay Smith, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 1. Gerhard Steenkamp. Replacements: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. Lizo Gqoboka, 18. Jacques van Rooyen, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Marcel Coetzee, 21. Izak Burger, 22. Morne Steyn, 23. Harold Vorster.
Stormers: 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Sergeal Petersen, 13. Ruhan Nel, 12. Rikus Pretorius, 11. Seabelo Senatla, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Herschel Jantjies, 8. Evan Roos, 7. Ernst van Rhyn, 6. Deon Fourie, 5. Marvin Orie, 4. Salmaan Moerat (co-captain), 3. Sazi Sandi, 2. Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1. Steven Kitshoff (co-captain). Replacements: 16. Andre-Hugo Venter, 17. Leon Lyons, 18. Brok Harris, 19. Adre Smith, 20. Hacjivah Dayimani, 21. Paul de Wet, 22. Dan du Plessis, 23. Warrick Gelant.