The Easter Weekend will serve up a sweet dose of Currie Cup Premier Division action as the four fifth-round matches are spread over three days, from Friday to Sunday, involving all eight provincial teams, while the Mzansi Challenge continues with matches in George and Windhoek.
First up in the Premier Division will be the Vodacom Bulls, who will be desperate to get a first campaign win under their belt when they host Windhoek Draught Griquas on Friday from 17:00 (SA Time) at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The team from the Jacaranda City have faltered in all four of their games to date, including last week to the NovaVit Griffons in Welkom, and as a result, they have made some changes to their coaching set-up, with Director of Rugby Jake White taking the reins.
Windhoek Draught Griquas team who scored 32 unanswered points against DHL WP in Cape Town last weekend while the struggling Pretoria outfit will also be mindful of the fact that when their Kimberley opponents last ran out at Loftus Versfeld, in the 2022 semi-final, the visitors from the Northern Cape won by 30-19. The blue jerseys do however have a slight edge over their last five games by virtue of three wins.
Vodacom Bulls director of rugby, Jake White has announced his matchday 23 that will play against the Windhoek Draught Griquas in round 5 of the 2023 edition of the Currie Cup competition, at Loftus Versfeld.
White has utilised his available players who did duty in France last week, forming a strong, balanced side as the men from Pretoria look to register their first win in this campaign of the Currie Cup.
Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White said that “It is a must-win game and this is the best team we can put on the field,”
“It is an opportunity for us to get some points on the board on the Currie Cup and keep our campaign alive.
“I can’t expect that the players won’t be up for it and if they are not then we have to find ways in which we change those guys or we find ways to get the best out of them.”
“We need to get some momentum at the back end of this competition.”
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls: 15. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14. Canan Moodie, 13. Stedman Gans, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. David Kriel, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Embrose Papier, 8. Elrigh Louw, 7. Cyle Brink, 6. Marco van Staden, 5. Ruan Nortje (c), 4. Ruan Vermaak, 3. Mornay Smith, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 1. Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. Dylan Smith, 18. Francois Klopper, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Nizaam Carr, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Johan Goosen, 23. Cornal Hendricks.
Windhoek Draught Griquas: 15. Lubabalo Dobela, 14. Rocko Specman, 13. Jay-Cee Nel, 12. Eddie Fouche, 11. Luther Obi, 10. George Whitehead, 9. Johan Mulder, 8. Carl Els, 7. Hanru Sirgel (c), 6. Stephan Smit, 5. Albert Liebenberg, 4. Derik Pretorius, 3. Cebo Dlamini, 2. Gustav du Rand, 1. Eddie Davids. Replacements: 16. Janco Uys, 17. Kudzwai Dube, 18. Janu Botha, 19. Michael Amiras, 20. Neil Otto, 21. Reagan Oranje, 22. Sango Xamlashe, 23. Sako Makata.
