The fourth-placed Tafel Lager Griquas host the third-placed Vodacom Bulls at 14h30 today in Kimberley, with the men from the Northern Cape eager to build on their exciting win over the DHL Western Provinces in the previous round.
Tafel Lager Griquas beat DHL Western Province 22-20 in their last outing at home on February 18, while the Vodacom Bulls went down 25-38 to the Toyota Cheetahs on February 2 – their last bit of action in the Carling Currie Cup.
Following their loss to the Toyota Cheetahs on 2 February in Bloemfontein, the Vodacom Bulls had a bye and as a result of their inaction, they slipped from first to the third position on the log. Gert Smal’s team will no doubt be in a determined mood to bounce back to winning ways in Kimberley.
However, Tafel Lager Griquas will be in an equally determined mood to build on their thrilling 22-20 win over the DHL Western Province in the previous round. Home ground advantage to the Kimberley outfit makes this a very interesting encounter against the defending champions from Pretoria.
Vodacom Bulls loaded their team with several URC stars as they look to get their Currie Cup hopes back on track, and this could prove to be vital in the final score of the match. However, I would never dismiss Griquas' potential and absolute will to win. This could be a close battle up to the final seconds.
Tafel Lager Griquas head coach Pieter Bergh made only one change and one positional change to his matchday squad.
Christopher Hollies is back from injury at the outside centre while Hanru Sirgel comes off the bench to replace Michael Amiras who drops to the bench.
The Vodacom Bulls will head to Kimberley with a loaded team.
The Vodacom Bulls have selected a strong side for the encounter which is expected to be a thrilling battle between the two sides.
The Tshwane-based side will see a number of players who featured in last weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship win over Zebre Parma, in Italy, turning out on Saturday.
Captain, Marcell Coetzee, will spearhead the star-studded team which includes, among others, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cornal Hendricks, Chris Smith and Embrose Papier in the backline.
In the forwards pack, alongside Coetzee, will be Arno Botha, Walt Steenkamp, Bismarck du Plessis and Simphiwe Matanzima.
Vodacom Bulls Carling Currie Cup head coach, Gert Smal, said ahead of the game: “The Tafel Lager Griquas have shown some good form so far this season and everybody knows how tough of an opponent they always are on the domestic scene. We, therefore, expect an exceptionally tough match against them, especially at their home ground.
“We will have to be at our best if we want to claim a good result. We have a good blend of experience and exciting youth in our squad, and we hope that our preparations over the past few weeks will come together this weekend.”
Tafel Lager Griquas: 15. Rynhardt Jonker, 14. Munier Hartzenberg, 13. Christopher Hollis, 12. Zander du Plessis, 11. Luther Obi, 10. Fiela Boshoff, 9. Stefan Ungerer, 8. Siba Qoma, 7. Hanru Sirgel, 6. Niel Otto (c), 5. Derik Pretorius, 4. Mzwanele Zito, 3. Janu Botha, 2. Janco Uys, 1. Eddie Davids. Replacements: 16. Gustav du Randt, 17. Kudzwai Dube, 18. Andries Schutte, 19. Johan Retief, 20. Michael Amiras, 21. Reagan Oranje, 22. Andre Swarts, 23. Sango Xamlashe.
Vodacom Bulls: 15. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14. Canan Moodie, 13. Stedman Gans, 12. Cornal Hendricks, 11. Richard Kriel, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Embrose Papier, 8. Muller Uys, 7. Arno Botha, 6. Marcell Coetzee (c), 5. Janko Swanepoel, 4. Walt Steenkamp, 3. Robert Hunt, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Simphiwe Matanzima. Replacements: 16. Schalk Erasmus, 17. Lizo Gqoboka, 18. Kowie Roos, 19. Reinhardt Ludwig, 20. WJ Steenkamp, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Juan Mostert, 23. Lionel Mapoe.
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