New broom Mitchell re-jigs Bulls

LIKE a wounded, raging bull in a china shop, new Blue Bulls captain Nic de Jager has made it clear that his team will come out fighting in their Currie Cup encounter against the Pumas in Nelspruit tomorrow.

De Jager takes over the reins of the team from Boom Prinsloo, and the former Saracens loose forward jas urged his team to put behind them their three consecutive losses to the Sharks, Western Province and the Free State Cheetahs and focus on finishing the first round of the competition well and making sure that they remain in contention for the playoffs.

“You can’t let the results from one or two games this early in the competition determine the rest of your competition. We are going to come out fighting and (strive) to finish strongly,” De Jager said after his appointment yesterday.

De Jager admits that the recent and dramatic change in management that has seen John Mitchell take over the reins of the team from Nollis Marais has brought about confidence within the team which will hopefully show in their performance on the field.

Marais was given the boot after the Bulls last-gasp 41-40 loss against the Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday and his axing was part of a major coaching shake-up that has seen the team gain a new management team with Mitchell in charge and Pote Human, Pine Pienaar and Hayden Groepes assisting.

Mitchell has wasted no time in getting Lizo Gqoboka to start at loosehead prop ahead of Pierre Schoeman, while Prinsloo and Jannes Kirsten return from injury to bolster the side’s loose trio.

Versatile forward Abongile Nonkontwana has made a positional switch from flank to the second row, in place of the injured Irne Herbst, to partner Ruben van Heerden.

In-form scrumhalf Andre Warner has been handed a starting berth ahead of Springbok Piet van Zyl with Junior Springbok JT Jackson also getting a start at inside centre in place of the injured Burger Odendaal.

Former Springbok flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff will start off the bench.