There is just one Currie Cup fixture this weekend, with six of the eight competing teams enjoying a hard-earned break from South Africa’s premier domestic competition.
The Blue Bulls will have a golden opportunity to make up for their surprise home loss to the Golden Lions when they entertain the Wildeklawer Griquas on Friday night.
The Bulls, who went down 30-27 to the Lions in Pretoria last weekend, are currently in fourth place in the Currie Cup standings with 24 points.
With Friday’s fixture a game in hand for both sides, a victory of any sort will see the Bulls regain top spot in the table.
The Bulls have been boosted in their bid for victory by the return of fit-again centre Wayne Julies and scrum-half Heinie Adams (scrumhalf), with the former named to start after a long-term knee injury and the latter being eased back into action off the bench as he recovers from a fairly serious leg injury.
Julies will form a World Cup-winning midfield combination with Wynand Olivier who has shifted to outside centre this week, while Adams is expected to get a second-half opportunity when SA Under-20 star Francois Hougaard has done his bit.
Although one World Cup winner is back in the Bulls line-up in the shape of Julies, winger Akona Ndungane has been forced out with a hip injury and Danie Rossouw is back in the Bok mix now that provincial colleague Bakkies Botha is out of Tri-Nations action with a knee injury.
Rocco Jansen comes in for Ndungane on the wing, with Juandré Kruger partnering Wilhelm Steenkamp in the absence of Rossouw and the injured Francois van Schouwenburg (broken thumb).
Blue Bulls: 15 Tiger Mangweni, 14 John Mametsa, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Wayne Julies, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Juandré Kruger, 3 Rayno Gerber, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Dewald Potgieter, 19 Jacques Burger, 20 Heinie Adams, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Marius Delport.
Griquas: 15 Bjorn Basson, 14 Gavin Passens, 13 Lafras Uys, 12 Riaan Viljoen, 11 MJ Mentz, 10 Tobie Botes, 9 Dougie Helmuth, 8 Gareth Krause (captain), 7 Stephan Gerber, 6 Rohan Kitshoff, 5 Cilliers Coetzer, 4 Wayne van Heerden, 3 Ruaan du Preez, 2 Hans van Dyk, 1 Albertus Buckle
Replacements: 16 James van der Walt, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Brendon Snyman, 19 Tyronne Holmes, 20 Sarel Pretorius, 21 Jaco Bekker, 22 Egon Seconds.
Up next
With just one match scheduled for this weekend, two fixtures will take place on each of the weekends of August 22/23 and 29/30, before five full weekends of four matches each ahead of the semi-finals on Saturday, October 11.
