Lions in SA
Bulls free Boks to start with
2009-05-19 09:12
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Bulls will be missing in action (Gallo)
Pieter Jordaan
Johannesburg - A Springbok XV will face a Namibian XV without any Bulls players next Friday in Windhoek.
The Bulls participation in this week’s Super 14 semi-final and the possibility of competing in next week’s final will force the Springbok selectors hand a little.
Peter Jooste, convener of the national selectors, said the panel of selectors will presume that the Bulls will play in the final next week, a day after the match in Windhoek.
The absence of players like Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Pierre Spies, Fourie du Preez and Bryan Habana will by not mean that a under strength team will represent South Africa in Windhoek, though.
What it does mean for South Africa, is that the Bok selectors and coaching staff have a good chance to test out combinations. The Sharks, who didn't make the playoffs will help strengthen the side.
There will however be three former Bulls players in action in Windhoek for the Namibian combination.
The promoter, Willem Strauss, confirmed that Derick Hougaard, Jaco van der Westhuysen and Frikkie Welsh (all former Bulls) accepted the invitation to play for the Namibian side. The coach of the Namibian XV team, John Williams, is also a former coach of the Blue Bulls.
Other South African players, Gary Botha, Michael Claassens and Rob Linde who ply their trade overseas were also invited, but are unavailable due to their respective injuries sustained .
The requests of Bok coach, Peter de Villiers, will be taken into account when the two teams will be announced.
He can request that players that aren’t in the Springbok XV play for the Namibian XV. The Boks will lock horns with the British Lions on 20 June in Durban in the first of three Tests.
