Bulls coach Frans Ludeke named his touring squad for what will be a season-defining four weeks abroad.
With the injury to Springbok scrumhalf Piet van Zyl having dealt the Bulls a cruel blow on the eve of their tour, Ludeke has called on the untested Tuks scrumhalf Andre Warner as the third scrumhalf on tour with in-form utility back Francois Hougaard as cover for Rudy Paige who is expected to be the starting No9 on tour.
Ludeke has also wasted no time in recalling former Springbok prop Werner Kruger now that the tighthead prop is fit again after suffered an injury in the opening match of the season against the Stormers.
Kruger’s experience will come in handy for the Bulls who have been struggling in the scrums and even though the frontrow combination of Marcel van der Merwe, Adriaan Strauss and Trevor Nyakane seems to be working, it will be a comforting thought for Ludeke that he has two quality props in Kruger and Dean Greyling as cover.
Greyling has been passed fit to travel with the team after being involved in a car accident last week but will only be available to play in the Bulls second match on tour against the Chiefs in Rotorua, missing out on the clash with the unpredictable Blues.
The Bulls will also welcome back flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter who has been struggling with a hamstring injury for the better part of the season while centres Jan Serfontein and Burger Odendaal have also been given the green light after sustaining injuries against the Lions.
In what will be considered as a surprise move by the usually conservative and loyal Ludeke, former Springbok wing Akona Ndungane has failed to make the cut and with his place going to Travis Ismaiel.
It seems as though Ludeke already has his eye on the future with regards to taking Ismaiel on tour with Ndungane’s Bulls career set to come to an end at the conclusion of the Super Rugby season.
The 34-year-old Ndungane looks likely to hang up his boots at the end of the season with the veteran of over 100 appearances for the Bulls in Super Rugby having not played for his team this year due to two injuries.
After their matches in New Zealand against the Blues and Chiefs, the Bulls will travel to Australia where they will face the Brumbies in Canberra before finishing of their month abroad with an encounter against the Rebels in Melbourne.
The Bulls conclude the round robin stages of the competition with a home game against the Cheetahs but it is how they fare on tour that will make-or-break their aspirations of making the play-offs.
Bulls touring squad: Jesse Kriel, Bjorn Basson, JJ Engelbrecht, Travis Ismaiel, Jan Serfontein, Burger Odendaal, Handré Pollard, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Rudy Paige, Francois Hougaard, Andre Warner, Arno Botha, Jacques du Plessis, Pierre Spies, Deon Stegmann, Lappies Labuschagne, Victor Matfield, Grant Hattingh, Flip van der Merwe, Werner Kruger, Marcel van der Merwe, Trevor Nyakane, Dean Greyling, Morné Mellett, Adriaan Strauss, Callie Visagie, Jaco Visagie. - The Star