CAPE TOWN - Jake White has called in all the heavy artillery to take on the Sharks, although there is a first start for young wing Marnus Potgieter in Saturday’s Currie Cup clash in Durban (7pm kickoff).
White resisted the temptation to mix and match his squad of 23, and reverted to his usual first-choice line-up to take on a strong Sharks side that have welcomed back Springboks Lukhanyo Am and Sbu Nkosi.
The Bulls boss said that Travis Ismaiel has had surgery on a shoulder and will be out for a few weeks, which has created the opening for Potgieter to come through from the Under-21 side.
Another young wing, Stravino Jacobs, can count himself unlucky as he was the top try-scorer in the Under-21 national championship with seven touchdowns this season.
But for the rest, the former Bok coach has picked his best team. Loosehead prop Jacques van Rooyen is back from a one-week suspension and takes over from Gerhard Steenekamp, while Ruan Nortje will wear the No 5 jersey again, with Walt Steenkamp shifting to No 4 in place of Sintu Manjezi.
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David Kriel returns to the last line of defence and Kurt-Lee Arendse will don the No 11 jersey, where his battle with Sbu Nkosi will be one of the highlights of the encounter.
A new face on the bench is Mornay Smith, who will be the reserve tighthead of Marcel van der Merwe.
Bulls Team
15 David Kriel 14 Marnus Potgieter 13 Stedman Gans 12 Cornal Hendricks 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Morné Steyn 9 Ivan van Zyl 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain) 7 Arno Botha 6 Marco van Staden 5 Ruan Nortje 4 Walt Steenkamp 3 Trevor Nyakane 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Bench: 16 Schalk Erasmus 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Mornay Smith 19 Sintu Manjezi 20 Nizaam Carr 21 Embrose Papier 22 Chris Smith 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.