Handre in the deep end
Sunwolves a must-win clash
SPRINGBOK pivot Handrè Pollard will lead the Bulls in their must-win Super Rugby clash against the Sunwolves at Singapore National Stadium on Saturday.
Burger Odendaal was not considered for the trip by coach John Mitchell due to injury, and Pollard‚ who impressed in the two matches he started for the Boks against England in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein this month‚ has been handed the captaincy.
Mitchell has included new faces in the starting line-up, with Jamba Ulengo returning at wing‚ Hanro Liebenberg at number eight and Jannes Kirsten set to make his first appearance this season on the side of the scrum.
Ulengo and Kirsten have not played in this year’s tournament, while Liebenberg’s last match was against the Sharks in April.
Johnny Kotze will partner Jesse Kriel in midfield in Odendaal’s absence, while Pollard will have Embrose Papier on his inside.
Edgar Marutlulle‚ Simpiwe Matanzima and Morne Smith will all make their first appearances for the season from the bench as the Bulls will be looking to win the match and stay in contention for the playoffs.
“It is great to be back playing in the tournament again.
“We had a good break‚ but also had some time together to sort out elements in our play that lacked consistency.
“The Sunwolves are always dangerous‚ especially on home turf‚ and we will have to be very principled in our approach and execution if we want to stay in the contest‚” said Mitchell.
Pollard said they need to find their momentum and rhythm as soon as possible if they are going to return home with victory.
“We have not played together as a team for a while‚ but that should not be a problem for us‚” said Pollard.
“We know each other pretty well by now, and even the guys coming back after injury have played in the tournament before. It will be a challenge‚ as the Sunwolves have shown their competitiveness in the competition‚ but ultimately the onus will be on us and how badly we want the win.
“There is still an outside chance‚ so we cannot afford any mistakes.” The squad is:
Bulls: 15. Warrick Gelant, 14. Jamba Ulengo, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Johnny Kotze, 11. Divan Rossouw, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Embrose Papier‚ 8. Hanro Liebenberg‚ 7. Jannes Kirsten,
6. Marco van Staden, 5. R G Snyman,
4. Jason Jenkins, 3. Conraad van Vuuren, 2. Jaco Visagie, 1. Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16. Edgar Marutlulle, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima‚ 18. Morne Smith, 19. Thembelani Bholi‚
20. Nic de Jager, 21. Andre Warner,
22. Manie Libbok‚ 23. Dries Swanepoel