Player welfare key as Bulls change 8 for Lyon Champs Cup clash

A whirlwind week for the Bulls has led to a whirring revolving door as the coaches implement their rotation policy to full effect with eight changes to the starting line-up for their vital Champions Cup match against Olympique Lyon at the Stadium de Gerland on Friday night.

Five of the changes are in the pack, where Lyon have plenty of firepower and mobility, but seven of the eight players left out from the Exeter Chiefs match last weekend do find themselves on the bench for Friday night’s clash, from which the Bulls need a bonus point to qualify for the knockout round of 16. Centre Harold Vorster is the one player taking a complete break this week.

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“Player welfare and our rotation policy is what informed our selection,” Bulls backline coach Chris Rossouw said on Thursday. “Ruan Nortje has basically played every minute since the start of the season.

“The same with Harold, since he came back from injury, he has played nearly every game to the end. We feel we have chosen a team to do the job and we have a solid bench as well.

“Lyon will probably choose their best side because they still have a mathematical chance of qualifying, so how we handle that pressure is where the game will be decided.

“We also need to manage the game and the big moments, which we’ve done quite well in the last two games. We need to assess the conditions and apply the right approach, which might be more conservative,” Rossouw said.

Net four tries

To net four tries is perhaps the easiest way for this Bulls side, blessed with attack-minded geniuses like Kurt-Lee Arendse, David Kriel and Canan Moodie, to get a bonus point. Victory is obviously the first priority for the visitors, though, and with Lyon blanketed by snow on Thursday, conditions might make the match a low-scoring grind.

“It’s extremely cold, with snow, and that is a great challenge that will have an influence,” Rossouw said. “But we will bring our same approach even though we’ve gone from 35° to sub-zero temperatures.

“And we’re playing on an artificial pitch, maybe with snow, so the ball will skid on more, it may be a bit slippery. The last time we played on an artificial pitch, the pace was made quite high, but that may be difficult this time.

“The challenge for our players is to have a more complete game in all conditions. We know the guys want to have ball-in-hand, but the most important goal is to maintain the momentum of our process.

“If we get to the stage where we are chasing four tries and the bonus point, then it comes down to the decision-making over time benefiting us at the end of the game. We need to execute what is needed,” Rossouw said.

Bulls: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Wandisile Simelane, Cornal Hendricks, David Kriel, Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier, Nizaam Carr (capt) Cyle Brink, Marco van Staden, Janko Swanepoel, Ruan Vermaak, Francois Klopper, Bismarck du Plessis, Simphiwe Matanzima. Bench: Johann Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith, Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw, Zak Burger, Chris Smith, Lionel Mapoe.

Read more: Bulls name formidable side to ‘front up’ against Exeter Chiefs in Champs Cup