The Vodacom Bulls will look to build on their victory in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship last weekend to kick on when they meet the Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow, on Friday at 20:45 (SA Time).
The clash between the Vodacom Bulls and Glasgow Warriors is expected to be gripping, with both teams entering the match with three wins out of four so far in the competition, and only two points separating them in the standings.
The Scottish hosts, however, will back themselves to secure a victory after coming off an impressive 42-17 win against the Ospreys away last week, while the Vodacom Bulls had to work hard for a nail-biting 28-27 victory against Connacht in their second tour game.
The Bulls will draw inspiration from the fact that they have won three of the last five outings between the teams, the last of which was a 26-19 win at the Scotstoun Stadium.
Spicing up the clash, the Warriors have scored only 13 more points than the Bulls, but the visitors will have their work cut out on defence, in particular, as they have conceded 74 points more than Glasgow, an area that will be essential to keep alive their hopes of registering their fourth win in the series.
Jack Dempsey is set to make his first Glasgow Warriors appearance since January this weekend, after being named in the starting XV to take on Vodacom Bulls at Scotstoun tomorrow night.
The Scotland international will line up at number eight under the Friday night lights, having been a late withdrawal ahead of the club’s opening round victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks last month.
Jamie Bhatti also returns to the starting XV after missing the club’s last two matches, coming in to start at loose-head prop alongside Johnny Matthews and Murphy Walker in the front row.
Max Williamson retains his place in the second row from last weekend’s bonus-point win over the Ospreys, partnering Scott Cummings as part of an all-international pack.
Dempsey’s inclusion sees Matt Fagerson shift to the openside flank, with Gregor Brown lining up at blindside after a BKT Player of the Match-winning performance against the Dragons a fortnight ago.
Behind the scrum, Adam Hastings needs only three points to reach 500 in a Glasgow Warriors jersey, as the fly-half combines with George Horne in the half-backs.
Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall continue their partnership in the midfield, having dovetailed to impressive effect in Bridgend last weekend.
Josh McKay returns to the lineup after being rested last time out, the full-back joining Kyle Steyn and Kyle Rowe in the back-three for the visit of last season’s runners-up.
Seb Stephen is set for his first appearance at Scotstoun should the hooker come off the bench, the Scotland U20 standout having impressed during his brief cameo in Bridgend last Saturday.
Nathan McBeth and Sam Talakai join Stephen as the front-row cover, with Alex Samuel and Euan Ferrie rotating to the bench after starting last time out.
Alex Craig continues in the number 20 jersey, whilst the back-line is once again covered by Ben Afshar and Dan Lancaster in a six-two split of the replacements.
The Vodacom Bulls have made eight positional changes to their line-up for Friday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture against Glasgow in Scotland.
This follows last week’s one-point win against Connacht.
Among the most significant changes are the inclusion of seasoned players like Marcell Coetzee and Ruan Nortje, which adds muscle and leadership, with the latter appointed captain.
There has been a front row overhaul with Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Mornay Smith stepping in.
Other changes see the impressive Reinhardt Ludwig shifting from five to seven, with JJ Theron and Nama Xaba dropping to the bench.
The backline shows three changes: Embrose Papier coming in for Paul de Wet, Stravino Jacobs replacing Canan Moodie, who was summoned for Springbok duty, and Harold Vorster being called up at the 11th hour for Jan Serfontein (stiff neck).
Teams
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Steyn (c), 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Matt Fagerson, 6 Gregor Brown, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Max Williamson, 3 Murphy Walker, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Jamie Bhatti. Replacements: 16 Seb Stephen, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Alex Craig, 21 Euan Ferrie, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Dan Lancaster
Vodacom Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Reinhardt Ludwig, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16 Juann Else, 17 Etienne Janneke, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 JJ Theron, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Kurt-Lee Arendse.