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The rescheduled fifth-round Carling Currie Cup Gauteng Derby between the Vodacom Bulls and Xerox Lions in Pretoria on Wednesday will set the tone for a high-octane final stretch as the pool stage concludes this week and the top teams battle it out for home semi-finals.
A victory for the Vodacom Bulls – the only team with two games remaining – will catapult them into a favourable position to wrap up the pool stage as the top team for a semi-final and possibly a final in Pretoria.
Should they win this match – which will be broadcast live on SuperSport at 16h00 – they may need only a bonus point from their clash against the Phakisa Pumas in Nelspruit on Sunday to guarantee them the top spot on the log if DHL Western Province – who are also on 35 log points, but with an inferior points’ difference – defeat the Cell C Sharks on Saturday.
The Xerox Lions, who edged the Cell C Sharks into third place on the standings thanks to a favourable points’ difference despite being tied on 33 points with the Durbanites, meanwhile, will throw everything at the men from Pretoria in their final round-robin match in the hope of putting them in line for a home semi-final.
Their fate, however, is out of their hands, as they will have to rely on the Cell C Sharks to defeat DHL Western Province on Saturday with a fairly narrow points’ margin to possibly see those hopes materialise.
The match-ups between these sides have been balanced in the last few years, with each side winning four of their last eight Carling Currie Cup games.
Interestingly three of the Vodacom Bulls’ victories were in Pretoria, but with the team having last taken the field over three weeks ago, they will have to hit the ground running to work off the rust quickly against a side that is high on confidence after five successive wins.
Initially, Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby, Jake White, named an extended squad of 28 players as they awaited a few COVID-19 test results, with Springbok prop Lizo Gqoboka back in the mix after not playing at all since the season resumed due to injury.
White finalised his match-23 on Tuesday afternoon, with Gqoboka, Louw and Jacobs all selected in the starting team and Agaba on the bench, amongst a number of changes to the side.
The Bulls' side, shows ten changes to the side that lost against the Sharks in Durban on the 12th December 2020.
Six changes at the back see only David Kriel retaining his place at full-back. Marnus Potgieter moves from wing to outside centre to replace Stedman Gans. Potgieter's place at wing is handed to Jade Stighling. Jay-Cee Nel replaces Cornal Hendricks at the inside centre while Starvino Jacobs replaces Kurt-lee Arendse at the other wing. Chris Smith and Embrose Papier replaces Morne Steyn and Ivan van Zyl whom moves to the bench.
Upfront Trevor Nyakane is the only survivor in the frontrow. Lizo Gqoboka makes a return at loosehead while Schalk Erasmus return at hooker.Jan Uys are included at #4 in the place of Walt Steenkamp while the return of Elrigh Louw at flank is the fourth change.
Experienced Springbok prop Jannie du Plessis, meanwhile, will run out for the Xerox Lions in one of three changes to coach Ivan van Rooyen’s starting team, replacing Wiehahn Herbst, while the other change in the forward pack is at flank, where Marnus Schoeman moves up from the replacements bench in place of Jaco Kriel.
In the backline, Burger Odendaal will add bulk to the midfield in place of Wandisile Simelane, who will make an impact off the bench.
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls – 15 David Kriel, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Marnus Potgieter, 12 Jay-Cee Nel, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Jan Uys, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Erasmus, 1 Lizo Gqoboka. Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Morné Steyn, 23 Tim Agaba.
Xerox Lions – 15 Tiaan Swanepoel, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Burger Odendaal, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies (captain), 9 André Warner, 8 Len Massyn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Dylan Smith. Replacements: 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Carlü Sadie, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Wandisile Simelane, 23 Francke Horn.