Bulls coach Pote Human has made seven changes to his team that will face the Jaguares in a Super Rugby match at Loftus Versveld on Saturday.
Although his side will be looking to get one back against the Argentines following a loss in the first round in Buenos Aires, Human would have considered his opponents poor record in South Africa when making these changes.
There were forced changes that included the resting of flyhalf and captain Handre Pollard and centre Jessie Kriel due to World Cup protocol.
The four week suspension of hooker Schalk Brits for his bust-up with the Sharks hooker Akker van der Merwe contributed to another change.
Corniel Els will make his first run on appearance in the place of Brits.
Bulls coach Pote Human says, “Corneil did very well coming off the bench and Jaco played almost all the game last year. I think it’s also to give Corniel a go for us this week.”
The Jaguares have struggled against South African teams in this campaign, but were able to get the better of the Bulls at home.
It’s for this reason that the Pretoria-based side is expecting the same performance the Jaguares put up in Buenos Aires.
Springbok 8th man Duane Vermeulen will lead the Bulls in their Super Rugby match against the Jaguares on Saturday as regular Captain Handre Pollard is rested.
Bulls captain Duane Vermeulen says, “We had a difficult one against them in Buenos Aires. We really need to get that one back, so it’s not going to be easy. I think we had a good week of training.”
The Bulls will be keen to continue with their winning momentum.
They scraped through against the Sharks in a physical encounter in their last fixture, but it was a match that should have prepared them for this weekend.
Vermeulen adds, “That’s what we are going to face – guys running onto the ball and straight at you … but I think we are happy where we are.Hopefully we can step into the next gear coming into this weekend.”
A win will be vital for the Bulls as they have another opportunity to go top of the South African Conference
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