Ackers asks new Bulls line-up to be at their best against Scarlets
· Citizen
Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann asked his team, featuring 11 changes to the starting XV, to step up in their United Rugby Championship clash with Scarlets at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 5pm).
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Ackermann said three changes were injury-enforced after flyhalf Handré Pollard hurt his hamstring, wing Cheswill Jooste left for an HIA and centre Sango Xamlashe suffered a concussion during their 34-26 win over Ulster last weekend.
Curwin Bosch steps into the No 10 role for Pollard. Dylan Maart and Stravino Jacobs form a new wing pairing (taking over from Jooste and Sebastian de Klerk), and Stedman Gans enters the midfield.
Ackermann said other changes, including a new front row, are due to squad rotation.
“If we make changes, they [the players coming in] will give us the standard and know how the system will work,” the coach said.
“Players give us confidence to rotate. That’s how we will get through the season.”
He said it was also good to have regular captain Marcell Coetzee on the bench after his availability was in question following a disciplinary hearing for a yellow-card incident against Ulster.
Hanro Liebenberg will lead the team out.
Scarlets ‘always in the fight’
Ackermann said they knew Scarlets would be a “tough nut to crack” even before they almost secured a shock result against the Stormers in Cape Town last week.
The perennial strugglers, who only have one win so far this season, fought back from 33-14 down to 40-all before losing 52-40.
“Last year we beat them with a penalty kick in the dying seconds. We got over the line by just two points,” the coach said, referring to their 23-21 first-ever victory in Llanelli.
He said they lost six or seven matches by seven points or fewer last season.
“So they were always in the fight. They are a quality team with a coach who has also settled in [Dwayne Peel]. They play an exciting brand of rugby.
“If you look at the comments they made afterwards, they said they think they are finding themselves now, how they want to play with high intensity, ball in play. That is what we expect. It will be a big challenge for us… they punish you when you are not at your best. We must be at our best.”
Bulls join Springbok squad
Ackermann congratulated Bulls players selected to join the Springboks for the final four Nations Championship matches in November.
While Johan Grobbelaar, Cobus Wiese and Elrigh Louw dropped out of the Springbok squad, Bulls rising stars De Klerk and Luan Giliomee are among the six uncapped players named.
Otherwise, Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cameron Hanekom, Marco van Staden and Canan Moodie feature from the Bulls.
Ackermann stressed the union could not take sole credit for Giliomee’s inclusion because much of the 20-year-old’s development happened at the Sharks and at junior level, before he joined the Bulls mid-season.
He said the first-selection players would gain much experience they could use to grow their own game while also bringing it back to their union.
Kwagga Smith to bolster the Bulls
He added that new signing Kwagga Smith would offer much when he returns to fitness, hopefully by the end of the year. Especially in a week like this when Van Staden and Louw were being rested.
“Kwagga has proven himself at the highest level over and over. So when we can tap into that experience and also the quality he has, he strengthens our squad.
“We want to fight on both fronts of the EPCR and URC. So we need depth in the squad. Experience helps with that.”
Smith provides both quality and experience, while allowing the coaches to rest some of the other Springboks.