Bulls release team for trans-Jukskei dery agains Lions

Harold Vorster will make his fiftieth URC appearance when the Bulls battle it out against his former club, for whom he made 76 appearances across two competitions. The hard-hitting centre will reach this tournament milestone during round 10 of the 2024/25 campaign.

For the trip up the N1, director of rugby Jake White has made four changes to the side that did duty to qualify for the Challenge Cup. Three of those changes are injury-enforced. In the starting XV, Boeta Chamberlain shifts to flyhalf and Cobus Wiese slots into lock in the absence of injured duo Johan Goosen and Ruan Vermaak. Keagan Johannes returns to the fold, replacing Zak Burger who picked up a knock last weekend.

The other change is rotational with David Kriel returning to action in place of Stedman Gans at centre. Kriel will partner up with the half-centurion, Vorster, at inside and outside centre, respectively. There are no other changes to the backline with Sergeal Petersen and Sebastian de Klerk retained on the wings and Devon Williams at fullback.

Besides Wiese, the forward's pack remains unchanged from the one that did duty a week ago.

On their opponents this weekend, White remarked: "Their signings have been good, they are a year older and they have been together longer with no significant player losses which makes them the more likely settled side out of the four franchises.

"They stay in the fight, they are good at everything, they will be at home and expect them to be fired up."

Asked about the game's magnitude and weight of form, the Bulls mentor commented: "When derbies come, the form book gets chucked out the window. A win in the conference is like double points because you take points from others around you.

"We must focus on how good we are and how we manage our systems and structures."

"This is always one of those derbies where you have a few players who were at either club and then moved on to the other. It's always a difficult game where you always seem to struggle to shake them off because it is somewhat personal."

The Bulls are also boosted by the return of World Cup-winning Springbok Willie le Roux. The veteran utility back slots into the five-three split impact squad, where he joins fellow Boks in Akker van der Merwe, Nizaam Carr and Canan Moodie; as well as Alulutho Tshakweni, Francois Klopper, Reinhardt Ludwig and Keagan Johannes.

Bulls - 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Boeta Chamberlain, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johann Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp

Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Canan Moodie, 23 Willie le Roux

READ MORE: URC -Sharks welcome back injured players for Cardiff clash