Pretoria - Springbok prop Gurthrö Steenkamp will make a first start for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup competition when they take on Western Province at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Steenkamp is back in action after a reconditioning spell on the sidelines following his Tri-Nations commitments with the Springboks and indicated that he is eager to make a start in this competition, according to the Blue Bulls website.

“It is not a nice feeling to be on the sidelines while your team-mates are doing the hard yards on the field. The Blue Bulls are keen to defend the Currie Cup and I want to put my body on the line with them, so am keen to give it a go against WP.”

Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke will only have the rest of Steenkamp’s Tri-Nations Boks available next week, but has included flank Dewald Potgieter on the bench for this crucial match.

Potgieter recovered from a knee injury and will replace Okkie Kruger, who moves up to the starting team in place of namesake Juandré Kruger, who broke his hand against the Leopards.

Chiliboy Ralepelle also swaps places with Gary Botha, with Derick Kuün taking the captaincy.

Ludeke said they need to dominate the contact situations.

“Our defences will be tested by this very good WP team, but the trick for us will be to dominate the contact area. This will be a huge game for us, as all these traditional North/South clashes are. A win could move us into second, but a defeat could threaten our playoff chances, so we need a positive result.”

Teams:

Blue Bulls:

15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Jaco Pretorius, 12. Stefan Watermeyer, 11. Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 10. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7. Okkie Kruger, 6. Derick Kuün (captain), 5. Fudge Mabeta, 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp

Replacements: 16. Gary Botha, 17. Rossouw de Klerk, 18. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19. Dewald Potgieter, 20. Ruan Snyman, 21. Francois Brummer, 22. Stephan Dippenaar

Western Province:

TBA