Bulls play musical chairs
Players swapped around for preseason encounter
UPCOMING lock RG Snyman will be back in the Vodacom Bulls second row this weekend when his side have their second preseason game, against the DHL Stormers in Wellington.
Snyman, who missed the Currie Cup season because he was playing rugby in Japan, returns to the starting lineup after also sitting out the preseason first game, against the Cell C Sharks in Polokwane.
He is joined in the starting lineup by Roelof Smit, the flanker who was selected for the Springboks, but failed to get his first test because of injury.
In essence, coach John Mitchell has swapped many of the players on the bench in Polokwane around for this game, with Springbok Lood de Jager, who is also making his first appearance of the season, set to get 35 minutes of game time.
But Mitchell made it clear that their goal was not a win in the game but rather to take it a step closer to the first game on February 24 for the side as they have a bye in week one of the competition.
“We’re on a different timeline to every other team in the country,” he said.
“We’re very mindful about developing 38 players instead of focusing on what would potentially be a top 23 for going into the first round.
“That is very much an important part of our plan.
“Last week, we got started with all the young guys.
“We brought closure in their minds about the intensity of the competition. This week we flip our starters and finishers, for want of better words.
“It just is so that Roelof starts this week, and an injury to Ashton [Fortuin] has obviously allowed us to progress some of the more experienced locks into the team.
“As we move forward to the competition now, we will be introducing more experienced players.”
Mitchell said he believed in a system where one group got 45 minutes, and not 40 as other teams did when they split their squads.
“The first group will get 45 minutes, and the second group is 35 – if you’re a good mathematician,” he said jokingly.
“The 45 is already built around the thinking that we’ve got to prepare for match conditions.
“Rather than going two teams of 40, I think it is really important as an athlete to come to grips with cooling down at half time and then going out and reestablishing a start.”
The Vodacom Bulls squad: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Andell Loubser, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal (c), 11 Duncan Matthews, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Jano Venter, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Frans van Wyk, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Thembelani Bholi, 22 Embrose Papier, 23 Manie Libbok, 24 JT Jackson, 25 Dries Swanepoel,26 Jade Stighling. – supersport.com