Share

Bulls bring in Venter, Vermaak

Pretoria - Bulls coach Frans Ludeke picked Francois Venter to replace injured midfielder Jan Serfontein when he named his side to take on the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday.

Serfontein injured his knee in the Bulls win over the Sharks last week.

Venter, who came off the bench earlier in the season when the Bulls beat the Stormers 22-17 at Loftus Versfeld, has recovered from a groin operation and will be rearing to go.

Jano Vermaak is also back in the number nine jumper following Francois Hougaard’s ankle injury and the 102-match veteran’s place on the bench will be taken by Rudy Paige.

The suspension of Wilhelm Steenkamp opened the door for 19-year-old Jacques du Plessis, who could make his debut for the Bulls after he was included as replacement-lock.

“We have one more box to tick to reach our goal of finishing top of the log after regular play,” Ludeke said on Wednesday.

“I am pleased to include someone like Swys (Venter) as he has proved himself at this level and will be itching to play after a successful recovery from his groin operation. We are all very excited for Jacques. He has been training with us all season and he will be very keen to use this opportunity. Jano’s form has earned him a Test cap this season, so he will be keen to stamp his authority on the match,” Ludeke said.

According to Bulls captain, Dewald Potgieter, his team will have to make a step-up in their approach and execution if they want to beat the Stormers and finish the season top of the log.

“We did not react well in certain situations when placed under pressure last weekend and will have to improve on that. The Stormers have momentum and the home crowd on their side and this being the big North/South derby we will have to front up. It is fair to say that this will be our biggest test this season.”

Teams:

Stormers:

TBA

Bulls:

15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling

Substitutes: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Morné Mellet, 19 Jacques du Plessis, 20 Jono Ross, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Jürgen Visser

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
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1845 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1812 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 471 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 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