Marcel Coetzee will lead the Vodacom Bulls when they return to league action on Saturday in Connacht. The South Africans travel to Ireland for Round 7 of the 2024/25 Vodacom United Rugby Championship as they resume their title quest from third place on the log, a point ahead of their opponents who are tied on 18 points in fifth place.
Director of Rugby Jake White has also opted to make use of his returning Springboks from International duty whilst also his side is boosted by the return of flyhalf Johan Goosen.
“Goosen hasn’t been involved in the opening rounds of the league and to be fair, we have done really well without him but training-wise, we have been training differently with him running at 10.
“All our Springboks want to play and that is nice to have. They also come from a really good tour with the national side, they had a really good year as the Springboks, surrounded by players who have been nominated as the best in the world so that also influences how they arrive back with us and to have them keen to play for the club is nice to see.”
White added: “It is difficult for some players who have been away from home almost eight weeks now but we make our selections to give ourselves the best chance possible to qualify for the play-offs in all the competitions we play in.
“Playing away, you get the crowd behind their home team, the wind factor, a 4-G pitch which we have not played on in a long time. These are all factors we have to account for. Playing Connacht in Connacht is a tough gig for any team. They are a team that is always in the top eight and they never give anything away. Playing away will always be difficult, wherever you play will always be difficult and this is an even more difficult place because of the conditions. Wind is a big factor here because of the way the stadium is situated and that influences the game strategy,” he concluded.
Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins said: “The Bulls will be a massive challenge but one we’re looking forward to. They’ve quality across the field and have that typical South African mix of strength in the forwards and speed in the backs. That said we’ve had a really positive few weeks since our last game and can welcome back a few players from injury and international duty, so we’re in a good spot overall.”
Vodacom Bulls starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk; 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier; 8 Mpilo Gumede, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Marcell Coetzee (capt); 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak; Francois Klopper, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Alulutho Tshakweni. Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Monay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Keangan Johannes, 22 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 23 Stedman Gans.
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