Botha in, Brink out as White names Bulls team for Sharks clash

Bulls boss Jake White has made just one injury-forced change to his team for the United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against the Sharks in Pretoria on Saturday.

Experienced flanker, Arno Botha, comes into the team in place of Cyle Brink, who sustained an injury in their last outing, against Ospreys in Wales two weeks ago.

The home side’s bench has also been bolstered with the inclusion of Springboks Lizo Gqoboka, who will provide loosehead prop cover, and veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn.

“I am really proud of our players for what they have achieved in reaching this stage of the URC. They have put in the hard work and have shown great determination to overcome some obstacles in the early stages of the season to reach the playoffs,” said White ahead of the match.

“The Sharks have been an outstanding side throughout the campaign. They have shown their quality with all the Springboks in their squad, their depth with the great talent at their disposal and consistency which has seen them claim some good results.

“The fact that we have lost twice to them in the round robin stages shows the quality of their side. We are expecting a very tough battle. We have done what we can in our preparations for this weekend’s match. Now we will need to now implement and execute our plans well and play our best rugby if we want to overcome a quality outfit like the Sharks.”

The match will kick-off at 1.45pm.

Bulls: Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Cornal Hendricks, Harold Vorster, Madosh Tambwe, Chris Smith, Zak Burger, Elrigh Louw, Arno Botha, Marcell Coetzee (capt), Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp. Bench: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Lizo Gqoboka, Robert Hunt, Janko Swanepoel, Reinhardt Ludwig, Embrose Papier, Morne Steyn, Stedman Gans