Share

Pollard picked on Bulls bench

Pretoria - Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke recalled two Springboks and a Junior Springbok to his starting backline to play Griquas in a Currie Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, while also including Bok pivot Handre Pollard on the bench.

In a re-jigged backline Junior Bok William Small-Smith (for Bok contracted JJ Engelbrecht), Bjorn Basson (for Sampie Mastriet) and Piet van Zyl (rotating with Rudy Paige) will start, while Marcel van der Merwe will wear the No 3 jersey in place of Werner Kruger in one of three changes from the pack that beat Pumas last weekend.

Bongi Mbonambi is back again in the No 2 jumper with Callie Visagie benched and Morne Mellett will start at loosehead prop in place of Dean Greyling.

Pollard will be brought into the game when needed, Ludeke said.

"Handre will definitely play a role in the match. He is playing with a lot of confidence coming off a fine performance for the Springboks against New Zealand and we will tap into that. We need to make sure we beat Griquas well and will be looking for a bonus point, but we will have to build the innings first and make sure we play clever rugby. The likes of William and Bjorn are fresh and they will be keen to have a go."

Blue Bulls captain Deon Stegmann confirmed their determination.

"We had to fight hard and dig deep to get ourselves back into playoff contention. We are not quite there yet, so the job is far from finished. It will be our last match at home this year, so all is keen to go out with a bang. We are looking forward to this match. I feel we are finally playing with some momentum and we are keen to capitalise on that.”

Kick-off for Saturday's clash is at 19:10.

Teams:

Blue Bulls:

15 Ulrich Beyers, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 William Small-Smith, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Deon Stegmann (captain), 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Morné Mellett

Substitutes: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 19 Wiaan Liebenberg, 20 Rudy Paige, 21 Handre Pollard, 22 Jesse Kriel

Griquas:

15 Jacquin Jansen, 14 Danie Dames, 13 PJ Vermeulen, 12 Jonathan Francke, 11 Ederies Arendse, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Jonathan Adendorf, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Jaco Nepgen, 4 Hugo Kloppers, 3 Maks van Dyk, 2 Martin Bezuidenhout, 1 Simon Westraadt

Substitutes: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Wesley Cloete, 18 RJ Liebenberg , 19 TBA, 20 Rudi van Rooyen, 21 Dean Grant, 22 Doppies la Grange
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE