Injuries and lure of dollar may hit hard

week in and week out.

“We have confidence in the guys who will step in there against the Kings in a derby,” Ludeke said this week.

To demonstrate how the exodus of players would impact the Bulls, Ludeke named Dewald Potgieter, who joins the Yamaha Rugby Club in Japan after the Super Rugby season, as captain.

The flanker, who has captained the Blue Bulls at Currie Cup level before, said the departing players hoped to finish their tenures with the Bulls on a high note, with the southern hemisphere provincial title behind their names.

The Bulls occupy third place overall on the Super Rugby log and could secure a home semi-final, provided the results in their final three roundrobin matches go their way.

“This is the business end of the season and this is where the top sides will distinguish themselves from the rest,” Potgieter said.

“We are not just fighting for a top-two spot. If we finish as strongly as we ought to, we can be in a very good position at the end of the round robin stages.”

The Kings will be looking to move up the log as they are second to last on the overall table and would like nothing more than to return to Port Elizabeth with a Bulls’ scalp in their luggage.

The last time the two sides locked horns, the Bulls scored four tries to beat the Kings 34-0 in the Windy City.

As is often the case in local derbies, the most meaningful battle will be fought among the loose forwards.

“The battle for both teams to cross the gainline will be crucial and realistically the Kings can still achieve a lot, but we have enough men who can get over the advantage line,” Ludeke said. — Sapa