Bulls team released for Champions Cup quarterfinal turns heads

As the Pretoria franchise fights a battle on two fronts in the URC and Champions Cup, squad depth is being tested. Next week, defending URC champions Munster arrive at Loftus Versveld for a crucial top-of-the-table clash as the Bulls hunt down home-ground advantage for the playoffs.

As such, Springboks Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier, Elrigh Louw, Marcell Coetzee and Wilco Louw all stayed at home. Talent such as David Kriel, Ruan Vermaak, Gerhard Steenekamp and Johan Grobbelaar also remained in South Africa.

Facing the unrelenting press, head coach Jake White defended his decision.

"I have said it over and over again, last season I did not rotate my squad enough and it came back to bite me in the end," said White, as per rugby365.com.

"It has nothing to do with Munster. It has to do with where we are as a group.

"There is rotation, but more importantly, I received medical advice that some players with 'bumps and bruises' after the last trip [to Dublin] and the massive game against Lyon would be an enormous risk on a trip abroad.

"They would unlikely be ready for Saturday and we would be at risk with players who can't start. You can't have guys 50-50 when you travel away from home and not being ready by Saturday.

"It would be impossible to replace them. It is the best team we can field. I am confident and looking forward to seeing how they perform."

Despite what it looks like on paper, White has not sent lambs to the slaughter. He revealed that six players had played in three Super Rugby finals, while another eight had featured in the team that upset Leinster in Dublin in the 2022 semifinals.

Bulls - 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Henry Immelman, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Izak Burger, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Mpilo Gumede, 6 Nizaam Carr (c), 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Janko Swanepoel, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Merwe Olivier, 20 Reinhardt Ludwig, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Cornal Hendricks.

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