The Vodacom Bulls have made several changes for Friday’s clash against Cardiff at Loftus, with Cameron Hanekom making his long-awaited comeback.
After a nine-month injury lay-off, the dynamic loose forward returns to the match 23, offering both an emotional lift and a timely injection of physicality off the bench.
Up front, there’s a change at tighthead prop, with Francois Klopper coming into the starting XV, while Cobus Wiese steps up from the bench to partner Ruan Nortjé in the second row. Ruan Vermaak, who started last week, moves to the replacements.
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The loose trio has also been reworked. Nizaam Carr earns a start at No 8, with Marcell Coetzee continuing as captain and Elrigh Louw retaining his place on the flank. Jeandré Rudolph provides impact cover on the bench.
The experienced halfback pairing of Embrose Papier and Handré Pollard is reunited. Stedman Gans returns at inside centre, while Canan Moodie continues at 13.
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Out wide, Cheswill Jooste replaces the injured Sebastian de Klerk on the right wing, with Kurt-Lee Arendse on the left.
The Bulls have also loaded their bench with impact, with centurion Marco van Staden and Jan-Hendrik Wessels offering versatility up front, while the inclusion of Khuta Mchunu and Vermaak points to a focus on maintaining set-piece dominance late in the game.
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BULLS – 15 David Kriel, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Stedman Gans, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Bench: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Khuta Mchunu, 19 Ruan Vermaak, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Jeandré Rudolph, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Willie le Roux.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
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