Vodacom Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has named a powerhouse team for the Investec Champions Cup clash against Bristol Bears at Loftus Versfeld.<\/b><\/p>\n
10 Springboks have been named for the fixture in Pretoria, with lock Ruan Nortje captaining the team from the second row alongside fellow Bok Cobus Wiese.<\/p>\n
The Bulls<\/a> head into the match off the back of six successive defeats, which includes back-to-back defeats in the opening two rounds of the Champions Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n 10 Boks start for Bulls<\/p>\n Ackermann\u2019s charges will be desperate to notch up a win to stay alive in the competition and end the run of losses, but face an in-form Bristol Bears<\/a> outfit brimming with confidence.<\/p>\n The Bulls have a full tight five of Springboks<\/a> in the starting lineup with Jan-Hendrik Wessels packing down at loosehead prop with hooker Johan Grobbelaar and tighthead Wilco Louw.<\/p>\n Fellow internationals Marco van Staden and Elrigh Louw start on the flanks, with the tireless Jeandre Rudolph packing down at number eight, and he is the only non-Test player in the run-on pack.<\/p>\n Embrose Papier and Handre Pollard combine in the halfbacks, the former putting in a man-of-the-match performance last week in the defeat to the Stormers.<\/p>\n Canan Moodie has been ruled out of the match due to concussion protocols, meaning that Harold Vorster and David Kriel reunite in the centres. Kurt-Lee Arendse remains sidelined due to his head injury.<\/p>\n Springboks lock defends Willie Le Roux\u2019s all-or-nothing gamble, Felix Jones in Bulls camp<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Stravino Jacobs and Sebastian de Klerk are the starting wingers once again, with veteran Bok Willie Le Roux retained at full-back.<\/p>\n Ackermann has opted for the conventional 5-3 split on the bench, which includes Akker van der Merwe, Gerhard Steenekamp and Mornay Smith, who cover the front row positions.<\/p>\n Ruan Vermaak and Mpilo Gumede complete the five forwards with Zak Burger, Stedman Gans and Sergeal Petersen covering the backs.<\/p>\n England star dubbed the \u2018world\u2019s best right now\u2019 as great left baffled on how to stop him<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Ex-Springbok\u2019s verdict on JP Pietersen coaching the Sharks amid \u2018frustrating\u2019 tactics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Bulls team v Bristol Bears<\/p>\n Bulls:<\/b> 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels Venue:<\/b> Loftus Versfeld Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n
Replacements:<\/b> 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Ruan Vermaak, 20 Mpilo Gumede, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 \u00a0Sergeal Petersen<\/p>\n
Kick-off:<\/b> 15:00 local (13:00 GMT)
Referee:<\/b> Pierre Brousset (Fra)
Assistant Referees:<\/b> Jeremy Rozier (Fra), Benjamin Hernandez (Fra)
TMO:<\/b> Denis Grenouillet (Fra)
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