The Bulls will finally bow down to the agreement of resting Springbok players ahead of their Highveld derby against the Lions in Johannesburg.
It was confirmed yesterday that veteran Springbok lock Victor Matfield, pictured, and centre Jan Serfontein will sit out Saturday’s clash in a move that will please Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
While the Bulls along with other franchises have not stringently stuck to their agreement of resting their Springboks exactly after five consecutive weeks of Super Rugby action, Bulls coach Frans Ludeke will feel at ease in being without the duo after his team’s 31-19 win over the Crusaders on Saturday.
Hooker Adriaan Strauss, prop Trevor Nyakane, flyhalf Handré Pollard and utility back Francois Hougaard have played in all seven of the Bulls games thus far and it doesn’t seem as though Ludeke is comfortable resting them for the unpredictable derby against an invigorated Lions team.
Matfield is likely to be replaced in the starting line-up by Grant Hattingh while Burger Odendaal will continue to hold onto the No12 jersey after making a stellar debut on Saturday as a late replacement for the injured Serfontein.
It does seem though that Ludeke will be targeting the next two weeks to try and squeeze in some down time for the remainder of his national team players but the Bulls will also be eager to try gain maximum points for the next four games on South African soil before embarking on their tour abroad.
The Bulls will also have to do without the services of another Springbok Arno Botha who has been sidelined for a further week after pulling out of the starting line-up to face the Crusaders because of a hamstring injury while marauding flank Lappies Labuschagne will also be out for another two weeks as he recovers from a minor surgical procedure to his broken nose.
There was good news for Ludeke yesterday as flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter and hooker Callie Visagie returned from their injuries and should be fit for selection while it will be another two more weeks before Springboks Akona Ndungane and Flip van der Merwe return. - The Star