J.J. Harmse
Pretoria - Gary Botha will be officially unveiled as captain of the Blue Bulls' Currie Cup side on Wednesday.
WIN limited edition rugby Oakley eyewear
Bulls fans will hope Botha could emulate the success he portrayed when he last captained the Bulls.
The feisty hooker - who represented the Springboks at the World Cup in 2007 - captained the Blue Bulls when they drew an epic Currie Cup final with the Free State Cheetahs in 2006.
The Blue Bulls have a tricky first hurdle to overcome when they tackle the defending champion Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
With at least 16 of their regular first choice players not available, they are sure to have a tough time of things, but the Sharks have also been hit hard through injuries and national call-ups.
New Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar will announce his team on Wednesday.
Gerhard van den Heever's inclusion at fullback is more out of desperation than anything else, but Bulls fans will have fond memories of the speedster's last visit to Durban (for the Bulls in the Super Rugby competition).
Akona Ndungane and Stephan Dippenaar should complete the back trio with Van den Heever, while Jaco Pretorius will guard the midfield.
The promising young centre Frans Venter is sure to get his chance on the big stage soon, and could travel to Durban as a substitute.
A possible Blue Bulls team:
15 Gerhard van den Heever, 14 Stephan Dippenaar, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Akona Ndungane, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Dustin Jinka, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Derick Kuün,5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Fudge Mabeta, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Gary Botha (captain), 1 Corné Fourie.
Pretoria - Gary Botha will be officially unveiled as captain of the Blue Bulls' Currie Cup side on Wednesday.
WIN limited edition rugby Oakley eyewear
Bulls fans will hope Botha could emulate the success he portrayed when he last captained the Bulls.
The feisty hooker - who represented the Springboks at the World Cup in 2007 - captained the Blue Bulls when they drew an epic Currie Cup final with the Free State Cheetahs in 2006.
The Blue Bulls have a tricky first hurdle to overcome when they tackle the defending champion Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
With at least 16 of their regular first choice players not available, they are sure to have a tough time of things, but the Sharks have also been hit hard through injuries and national call-ups.
New Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar will announce his team on Wednesday.
Gerhard van den Heever's inclusion at fullback is more out of desperation than anything else, but Bulls fans will have fond memories of the speedster's last visit to Durban (for the Bulls in the Super Rugby competition).
Akona Ndungane and Stephan Dippenaar should complete the back trio with Van den Heever, while Jaco Pretorius will guard the midfield.
The promising young centre Frans Venter is sure to get his chance on the big stage soon, and could travel to Durban as a substitute.
A possible Blue Bulls team:
15 Gerhard van den Heever, 14 Stephan Dippenaar, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Akona Ndungane, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Dustin Jinka, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Derick Kuün,5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Fudge Mabeta, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Gary Botha (captain), 1 Corné Fourie.