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Cape Town - The Blue Bulls welcome the return of flank Deon Stegmann and winger Akona Ndungane for their Currie Cup clash against Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday.
Stegmann missed the last seven weeks' action due to a fractured cheekbone, while Ndungane missed their last two matches after injuring his ribs against Western Province a few weeks ago.
The Bulls were also left with a bit of a predicament at fullback after Zane Kirchner was called up to the Springbok squad in New Zealand to replace the injured Frans Steyn.
The Beeld newspaper reports that Kirchner's most logical replacement should be Jurgen Visser, but he severely damaged his nose in last week's 47-12 victory over the Pumas at Loftus Versfeld. Gerhard van den Heever is now expected to shift from wing to fullback, with Ndungane coming in on the wing.
Bjorn Basson should stay on as the other winger.
"I will definitely consider Gerhard for fullback. He has played in this position in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournament," said Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar.
Pienaar also stressed that Ndungane's presence amongst the back trio would be a key asset against Griquas.
"With Akona back, I'm sure we will have a good back three.
"We will need it against Griquas, as Riaan Viljoen and Rudi Vogt can pose opponents problems with big kicks," said Pienaar.
The Pretoria-based outfit occupy fifth spot on the log standings, three behind the fourth placed Western Province. Therefore, victory in their last two games is of utmost importance. After the trip to Kimberley, the Bulls face the Leopards at home to conclude their round-robin phase.
The clash in Kimberley kicks off at 15h00 on Saturday.
Stegmann missed the last seven weeks' action due to a fractured cheekbone, while Ndungane missed their last two matches after injuring his ribs against Western Province a few weeks ago.
The Bulls were also left with a bit of a predicament at fullback after Zane Kirchner was called up to the Springbok squad in New Zealand to replace the injured Frans Steyn.
The Beeld newspaper reports that Kirchner's most logical replacement should be Jurgen Visser, but he severely damaged his nose in last week's 47-12 victory over the Pumas at Loftus Versfeld. Gerhard van den Heever is now expected to shift from wing to fullback, with Ndungane coming in on the wing.
Bjorn Basson should stay on as the other winger.
"I will definitely consider Gerhard for fullback. He has played in this position in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournament," said Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar.
Pienaar also stressed that Ndungane's presence amongst the back trio would be a key asset against Griquas.
"With Akona back, I'm sure we will have a good back three.
"We will need it against Griquas, as Riaan Viljoen and Rudi Vogt can pose opponents problems with big kicks," said Pienaar.
The Pretoria-based outfit occupy fifth spot on the log standings, three behind the fourth placed Western Province. Therefore, victory in their last two games is of utmost importance. After the trip to Kimberley, the Bulls face the Leopards at home to conclude their round-robin phase.
The clash in Kimberley kicks off at 15h00 on Saturday.
