Akker leads Bulls again against Scarlets
The Bulls' experienced Springbok hooker, Akker van der Merwe, will lead the team on the field on Friday evening when they take on the Welsh team Scarlets in Llanelli.
Jake White has rotated his side ahead of their United Rugby Championship fifth-round matchup with Welsh outfit, the Scarlets at the Parc y Scarlets Stadium in Llanelli on Friday evening.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels will start at prop alongside skipper, Akker van der Merwe, who will be at hooker with Wilco Louw completing the front row at tighthead prop.
Ruan Vermaak has a new partner at lock in Cobus Wiese whilst Nama Xaba comes in to pair up with Reinhardt Ludwig at flank. Cameron Hanekom slots in at eight.
Zak Burger gets a start at scrumhalf with Boeta Chamberlain continuing to serve the Pretoria outfit at flyhalf. Behind the halfbacks Kurt-Lee Arendse and Sebastian de Klerk are retained at left and right wing, respectively, with Harold Vorster returning to the match day fold at inside centre. Vorster, who was side-lined by a broken nose has recovered from his nasal repair and will pair up with Canan Moodie who will line up at outside centre. Henry Immelman will marshal the troops from fullback.
White has gone with a five-three split impact squad that will see Johan Grobbelaar, Dylan Smith, Francois Klopper, JF van Heerden, Mpilo Gumede, Embrose Papier, Chris Barend Smit and Stedman Gans all on notice to support the starting line-up.
“They (Scarlets) are the one Welsh team that has beaten us. They did not only beat Cardiff last week but drew with Benetton also, so they are a difficult team that we take seriously,” said White when he announced the team.
According to White, every game his team plays as a franchise is important.
“It doesn’t matter whether we are playing at home or away. Whenever we wear our club jersey, there is an expectation to win. That doesn’t change whether it’s the second game on tour, we just got to make sure we play as much as we can when we run out onto the field,” he remarked.
Kick-off time for this match is at 20:35 (South African Time).
BULLS vs SCARLETS STARTING XV: 1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 2. Akker van der Merwe (c), 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Ruan Vermaak, 5. Cobus Wiese, 6. Nama Xaba, 7. Reinhardt Ludwig, 8. Cameron Hanekom, 9. Zak Burger, 10. Boeta Chamberlain, 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12. Harold Vorster, 13. Canan Moodie, 14. Sebastian de Klerk, 15. Henry Immelman
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Johan Grobbelaar, 17. Dylan Smith, 18. Francois Klopper, 19. JF van Heerden, 20. Mpilo Gumede, 21. Embrose Papier, 22. Chris Barend Smit, 23. Stedman Gans.
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