CAPE TOWN - Trevor Nyakane has been restored to the starting line-up by Bulls boss Jake White for Saturday’s Super Rugby Unlocked showdown with the Stormers in Pretoria.
In announcing his team on Thursday, White stuck largely with the same team that scored six tries in routing the Sharks 41-14 last week, with only Nyakane coming into the run-on XV in place of Marcel van der Merwe, who is still finding his feet after recovering from a recent ankle operation.
Nyakane made all the difference to the Bulls scrum after replacing Van der Merwe in the opening 30 minutes at Loftus Versfeld last week, as he earned an immediate penalty at the set-piece and dominated his direct opponent, Ox Nche.
For the rest, White has rewarded the players who found their rhythm on attack against the Sharks, with the likes of sevens stars Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arendse looking to continue their sparkling form against the Stormers at Loftus on Saturday (7pm kickoff).
There is a new face on the bench, though, with Springbok loose forward Nizaam Carr taking over from Arno Botha.
“The Stormers tend to be our measuring stick and beating them is non-negotiable amongst the players. We’ve come off a comfortable win, while our opposition for Saturday had to scratch and claw their way past the Pumas, so the stage is set for a hard and bruising affair,” White said.
The Bulls team:
15 David Kriel 14 Travis Ismaiel 13 Stedman Gans 12 Cornal Hendricks 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Morné Steyn 9 Ivan van Zyl 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain) 7 Elrigh Louw 6 Marco van Staden 5 Ruan Nortje 4 Jason Jenkins 3 Trevor Nyakane 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Bench: 16 Joe van Zyl 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Marcel van der Merwe 19 Sintu Manjezi 20 Nizaam Carr 21 Embrose Papier 22 Chris Smith 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.
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