Cheetahs coach Rassie Erasmus's penchant for doing something out of the ordinary in an attempt to get the upper hand over opponents - especially the Bulls - tactically has made the race to get flyhalf Derick Hougaard fit in time of Saturday's Super 14 showdown against the Cheetahs at Lotus Versfeld the priority for the Bulls this week.
Hougaard, regarded as a more astute tactical kicker at flyhalf than Morné Steyn who did duty in the 17-3 loss to the Sharks in the competition opener in Durban last weekend, has been battling with a leg injury. The injury that kept him out of action last week is threatening to do the same this week. But the loss to the Sharks has made a home win over a confident Cheetahs side fresh from their 27-9 win over the Stormers, just that much more important. Hougaard seems to be the player coach Heyneke Meyer is looking to to do the job.
The 24-year-old pivot has been under close medical scrutiny and, according to team doctor Tommie Smook, has been kicking and running without discomfort.
The upshot of this then is that it can be assumed that Hougaard will take his place at flyhalf against the Cheetahs on Saturday as the Bulls attempt to forget about their false start in Durban and concentrate on getting their campaign up and running.
Both coach Meyer and team captain Victor Matfield assured their supporters on Wednesday that they had been working hard at correcting the mistakes made against the Sharks.
"Our handling, forward play and tactical game was disappointing in Durban and we will be looking for a big improvement this week," said Meyer. "I understand that expectation are high for the Bulls to do well, but this is a long competition and does not just consist of one game."
If Hougaard plays, he will be the only change to the Bulls team that lost to the Sharks last weekend. There are returns to the bench for Chiliboy Ralepelle and Adriaan Fondse. The Cheetahs are due to name their team on Thursday.
Teams:
Bulls:
Johan Roets; Akona Ndungane, JP Nel, Wynand Olivier, Bryan Habana; Derick Hougaard/Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez; Anton Leonard, Wikus van Heerden, Pedrie Wannenburg; Victor Matfield (captain), Danie Rossouw; Danie Thiart, Gary Botha, Wessel Roux.
Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Jaco Engels, Adriaan Fondse, Hilton Lobberts, Nic Eyre, Morné Steyn/Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Marius Delport
Sharks:
Percy Montgomery; Francois Steyn, Adrian Jacobs, Bradley Barritt, JP Pietersen; Butch James, Ruan Pienaar; Ryan Kankowski, AJ Venter, Jacques Botes; Johann Muller, Steven Sykes; Brendon Botha, John Smit (captain), Deon Carstens.
Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, Kees Lensing, Albert van den Berg, Warren Britz, Rory Kockott, Waylon Murray, Cedric Mkhize.
Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup side to face Free State in a friendly in Hoopstad on Saturday:
Tsepo Kokoali; Rocco Jansen, Dries Scholtz (captain), Wayne Julies, Luvuyo Mhlobiso; Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Heinie Adams; Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Gerhard Human; Cliff Milton, Wilhelm Steenkamp; Richard Bands, Derick Kuun, Dean Greyling.
Replacements: James van der Walt, Bandise Maku, Hendrik Roodt, Pieter Meyer, Neil Powell, Ruan Boshoff, Braam Gerber, Ruan Vermeulen, Antonie Claassen, Gerrie Odendaal, Werner Kruger.