Captain Marcell Coetzee wants to give the Bulls faithful a win at Loftus.
Image: BackpagePix
The Bulls are tipped to avenge their defeat by the Sharks in Durban late last year when they host the Durbanites in Pretoria on Saturday evening.
The Sharks look vulnerable following a disappointing loss to the Lions in Johannesburg last week. They are not yet at full strength, with several current Springboks still resting. They do, however, welcome back a key figure in the backline and another in the pack: "Andre the Giant" Esterhuizen resumes at inside centre, while Ox Nche anchors the scrum at loosehead prop.
Esterhuizen has been a revelation for the Sharks this season. He has warmed to the responsibility of the captaincy and is playing the best rugby of his career; the Sharks are quite simply a different team when he leads them.
Still, the Bulls were scintillating in their last outing, a 52-17 demolition of the Lions at Ellis Park. During the first half of the season, they struggled to find the balance between expansive attack and playing for territory. They were effectively trying to hit a six off every ball, but they have now settled into a rhythm that proved far too much for the Lions to handle.
In that last game, halfbacks Handré Pollard and Embrose Papier pulled the strings brilliantly. If they can replicate that control at Loftus, the Sharks could be in for a long evening—especially if front-foot ball from the forwards allows the pair to unleash the serious attacking talent outside them in David Kriel, Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
To make matters more daunting for the visitors, there is the small matter of a potent "Bomb Squad" on the Bulls' bench, featuring the likes of Marco van Staden, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, and Jeandré Rudolph.
Date: February 28.
Kick-off: 5pm.
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.
Teams:
Bulls: 15 David Kriel, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier; 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Elrich Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Morne Smith, 2 Jan Hendrik Wessels, 1 Alulutho Tshakweni
Bench: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Jeandre Rudolph, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Willie le Roux, 23 Stravino Jacobs
Sharks: 15 Jaco Williams, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikste, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Ox Nche
Bench: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Phatu Ganyane, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Thomas Dyer, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Siya Masuku, Yaw Penxe
Referee: Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa) & Jonathan Lottering (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)