Club co-captain, Marcell Coetzee returns from serving his suspension as the Vodacom Bulls begin their 2023/24 Investec Champions Cup campaign against three-time competition champions, Saracens of England. The two clubs will meet – for the first time – at Loftus Versfeld Stadium tomorrow, 8 December 2023 (19h30 kick-off) in what is touted to be a match for the memories under the African skies.

Coetzee will get a run from the impact squad where he forms part of a five-three split impact squad that also features forwards Simphiwe Matanzima, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith and Deon Slabbert as well as backs Zak Burger, Jaco van der Walt and Sergeal Petersen who returns to the matchday 23-fold.

The herd remains unchanged up in front with Gerhard Steenekamp (loose-head), Akker van der Merwe (hooker) and tight-head prop Wilco Louw making up the front row. Janko Swanepoel will start at lock alongside former Junior Springbok, Reinhardt Ludwig who will start to his right at 5-lock. The third-row combination of Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom remains unchanged from last week’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship round 7 clash. Louw will – once again – lead the herd when they step into the fortress against the English giants.

The impeccable forward pack will lay the foundation for a backline that begins with Embrose Papier (scrumhalf) and Johan Goosen (flyhalf) at halfback, with David Kriel and Stedman Gans behind them at centre. Springbok trio, Canan Moodie (left wing), Kurt-Lee Arendse (right wing) and Willie le Roux (fullback) complete an electric backline.

Director of Rugby, Jake White said it was good to have Coetzee back and added: “We are happy to have Marcell back, but we are also happier to have the same pack of forwards running out for continuity and also sends the right message to the guys after they played so well last weekend. It is nice to have him but there is a lot of positivity in the camp that it is as it was last weekend,”

Speaking on the Saracens test for his herd, White remarked: “It is another test for our guys, but I say this with respect to Maro Itjoe, our guys played against Eben Etzebeth last weekend, and I am looking forward to seeing how well they do with this test this weekend because they did well against Eben last weekend,”

“Saracens have shown over the last couple of years that they have an incredible success rate, playing the style they play but we mustn’t get sucked into anything, we must remain focused on what we do well; especially because we are at home with all the contributing factors like altitude and the heat; and momentum from the way we have been playing. This is something we must not move away from,”

“It is going to be an interesting test match but I am confident that Kurt-Lee, Canan and Willie have played together at the international level and would have played international sides that play similar to their (Saracens) game and they would have done very well anyways, so I am looking forward to whether or not the makeup of our group can make sure that we play the way we want to play.”

White added: “Saracens have an incredible record in the Champions Cup. They are like the Barcelona of rugby and so it will be a wonderful test match,”

“The learnings we have learnt as a group are going to have to be water-tight this weekend because we are going to get asked a lot of different questions and get tested in different areas that we probably haven’t been tested before because of the way Saracens play.”

On the importance of having a good start: “It is always good to start well but the one thing we all know is that the longer you play at altitude the more fatigued you get, especially if you are a touring side; so it would be wonderful to start well and continue playing well but I don’t necessarily reckon that if you start badly therefore all is lost. There is a lot of contributing factors that can play a role in these championship games”.

“I have no doubt Saracens will want to start well too because of the experience they have and because of the personnel they have as well, I am sure they would know they need to start well as well.”

On Saracens’ strong travelling squad: “It is a wonderful honour for us that they bring their best team to play against us, it sends a great message to us as a group; that they take us that seriously that they would bring all their internationals that they have available to come and play at Loftus. Knowing them, it is probably also a learning experience for them. First time playing against the Vodacom Bulls, first time in Tshwane as they develop as a team,”

“It doesn’t get any tougher or bigger than this weekend, to play against a Saracens side that has won this competition. I am really looking forward to measuring ourselves against a team like Saracens with the success they have and the way they play. I have a lot of respect for the way they do things as a club.”

“We have got to play as well as we can, and this will be a wonderful measurement for us to see where we are as a group. There is a lot of history and memories to be made. This is what it is all about, the biggest competition in the world.”

Tickets for the blockbuster start from R 50.00c and the gates will open at 16h30 with an exciting serving of entertainment at the Loftus D-Market for the whole family.

VODACOM BULLS vs SARACENS STARTING XV:

1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Akker van der Merwe, 3. Wilco Louw, 4.  Janko Swanepoel, 5. Reinhardt Ludwig, 6. Marco van Staden, 7. Elrigh Louw (c), 8. Cameron Hanekom, 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Johan Goosen, 11. Canan Moodie, 12. David Kriel, 13. Stedman Gans, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 15. Willie le Roux

VODACOM BULLS IMPACT SQUAD:

16. Simphiwe Matanzima, 17. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18. Mornay Smith, 19. Deon Slabbert, 20. Marcell Coetzee, 21. Zak Burger, 22. Jaco van der Walt, 23. Sergeal Petersen

MANAGEMENT:

Jake White – Director of Rugby, Chris Rossouw – Assistant Coach, Werner Kruger – Assistant Coach, Gary Gold – Assistant Coach, Andries Bekker – Assistant Coach, Jean Tiedt – Assistant Coach, Kennedy Tsimba – Assistant Coach, Phiwe Nomlomo – Assistant Coach, John-William Meyer – Technical Analyst, Dr. Moshe Magethi – Team Doctor, Lance Lemmetjies – Senior Physiotherapist, Darryn Berry – Physiotherapist, Andre Volsteedt – Strength & Conditioning, Yusuf Vahed – Sport Scientist, Elias Bennett – Team Manager, Simon Dyidi – Logistics Manager

Springbok utility back and two-time World Cup winner, Willie le Roux, will make his debut for the Vodacom Bulls who return to “Fortress Loftus” looking to slay Connacht who visit the capital in round six of the 2023/24 Vodacom United Rugby Championship. Jake White’s herd has seen six rotational shuffles made to the starting XV with two more changes in personnel on the bench for the clash set for Saturday 25 November, at 17h00.

Le Roux will lace his boots and line up at fullback with the centre-pairing of David Kriel and Stedman Gans in front of him. Once more, ‘Speed Kings’ Sergeal Petersen and Sebastian de Klerk will command the herd on the wings whilst scrumhalf Zak Burger and Jaco van der Walt (flyhalf) will marshal the troops at halfback.

Up ahead, the front row is assembled with Gerhard Steenekamp at loosehead prop alongside Akker van der Merwe at hooker with Wilco Louw at tighthead prop. Behind the power-packing trio will be the lock combination of Reinhardt Ludwig and captain Ruan Nortje in the second row. Versatile flanker, Marco ‘Eskom’ van Staden returns to the fold and will start at flank alongside Elrigh Louw to his right with Nizaam Carr at eight.

Director of Rugby, Jake White has assembled an impact squad comprising five forwards Simphiwe Matanzima, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith, Janko Swanepoel, Cyle Brink and three backline players Embrose Papier, Chris Smith and young World Champion, Canan ‘Mr. Magic’ Moodie.

Gates at Loftus will open from 14h00 in the afternoon with plenty of entertainment for the entire family at the Loftus Markert on the D-field.

When asked about whether or not his selections were made with the Sharks game in mind, White commented: “I am not thinking about the Sharks game yet (taking place on Saturday 02 December 2023) because we have to get this Connacht game out the way.”

On the opposition, the Vodacom Bulls mentor said: “They are a good team. You do not go to Durban and win there, especially after they had just flown in. They are certainly one of the most in-form teams at the moment. I know Andy Friend well, and I think they have changed a few things. They are a difficult team to beat, and they beat us by playing direct rugby when we played them away from home. We saw it again when they played last week, once they get closer to the try line, they go for it.

“Their result against the Sharks will give them a big confidence coming up to Loftus. However, we must not get sucked into that but rather focus and do what we need to do from our side!”

White was beaming with excitement when asked about getting the opportunity to see Willie le Roux in action, calling for the Loftus community to back him and the incredible knowledge he brings.

“I have never coached him, but I watched him play back in the day in Boland as an under-19 and never realised he would end up being what he is now. I read on social media what people say about him and just cannot believe what I see. He has only been here for a week, but it feels like he has been here for six months, he is unbelievable. He is like having a coach there. He is very clever and extremely skilful; I cannot wait for tomorrow to see how he goes because I am sure people will see just the value that he has.”

“To all the critics, I ask that you lay it off because he is probably one of the best if not the best player to have played for the Boks and if he is not the best then he is definitely the cleverest.”

White went on to add: “The guy is unbelievable, and I cannot believe it has only been a week. Even when he was at the World Cup he was asking for the defensive and attacking plays, wanting to understand what we are doing and now that he is here it feels like he has been here for a whole season. I can now understand why he gets picked week in and week out. In one week, I can’t believe what he has been able to do. It is like having a coach there, a coach who understands the game. I did hear this from the other players before arriving here, Canan (Moodie), Kurt-Lee (Arendse), Marco (van Staden) all said he is unbelievable to play alongside and now I see it too. Hopefully everybody else sees it too.”

Asked about the Vodacom Bulls Boks returning to play, White commented: “It’s a wonderful thing for us, they returned and were asking to play. Marco was saying he can’t wait to play, so it’s great for us – the excitement and energy they bring is nice.”

Speaking on Marcell’s suspension and how that influences selection: “I went to his hearing, wanting to see how it works out, but I obviously did not get involved. It would be difficult for them (the hearing committee) to go in there and not back their referee because then that would say they do not back the ref. It is not ideal, but it is the nature of what we have to deal with now. The blooding in of young guys, a year later, has given me and this team more confidence that even if we do not stick with the same guys. It’s also good to not stick with one group of players because it doesn’t do well for the other guys not on the field.”

VODACOM BULLS vs CONNACHT STARTING XV:

1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Akker van der Merwe, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Reinhardt Ludwig, 5. Ruan Nortje (c), 6. Marco van Staden, 7. Elrigh Louw, 8. Nizaam Carr, 9. Zak Burger, 10. Jaco van der Walt, 11. Sergeal Petersen, 12. David Kriel, 13. Stedman Gans, 14. Sebastian de Klerk, 15. Willie le Roux

VODACOM BULLS IMPACT SQUAD:

16. Simphiwe Matanzima, 17. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18. Mornay Smith, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Cyle Brink, 21. Embrose Papier, 22. Chris Smith, 23. Canan Moodie

MANAGEMENT:

Jake White – Director of Rugby, Chris Rossouw – Assistant Coach, Werner Kruger – Assistant Coach, Gary Gold – Assistant Coach, Andries Bekker – Assistant Coach, Jean Tiedt – Assistant Coach, Kennedy Tsimba – Assistant Coach, Phiwe Nomlomo – Assistant Coach, John-William Meyer – Technical Analyst, Dr. Gerhard Louwrens – Team Doctor, Lance Lemmetjies – Senior Physiotherapist, Darryn Berry – Physiotherapist, Andre Volsteedt – Strength & Conditioning, Yusuf Vahed – Sport Scientist, Elias Bennett – Team Manager, Simon Dyidi – Logistics Manager

Loose forward, Celimpilo ‘Mpilo’ Gumede has been handed his debut for the Vodacom Bulls this weekend when the Tshwane-based franchise visits Cardiff Rugby at Arms Park in Wales. Gumede – a former SA Schools and Junior Bok – will lace up his boots at eight, bringing his explosive game to the pack that is led by an unchanged front row, with Nizaam Carr captaining the side in their fourth round 2023/24 Vodacom United Rugby Championship outing.

Carr will start at blindside flank whilst Cyle Brink will be on the openside with the duo of Reinhardt Ludwig and Janko Swanepoel completing the second row as the lock pairing. Embrose Papier (scrumhalf) and Chris Smith (flyhalf) will direct traffic flow at halfback with an unchanged backline behind them. Sergeal Petersen who had an impressive debut will be at left wing whilst his energetic counterpart Sebastian de Klerk will be on the right of the park. David Kriel will be hoping to add more tries to his tally from inside centre with Stedman Gans on his outside with Devon Williams at fullback.

Director of Rugby, Jake White has gone with a 6-2 bench split which will see Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith, Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom sit on standby for forward pack duty with Keagan Johannes and Johan Goosen the optional backline picks on the waiting list for duty.

This clash in the South of Wales is set for today, 10 November 2023, with kick off scheduled for 21h35 South African time and will be broadcast LIVE on SuperSport Rugby.

On the changes made to the matchday 23, White remarked: “I’ve got to try something different. We know Marcell (Coetzee) and Elrigh (Louw) play all the time and Cameron (Hanekom) we have seen. Elrigh has played every single game for eighty minutes, so the changes give us a chance to see some fresh legs. We signed Mpilo Gumede and Cyle (Brink) played a lot of rugby last year with this team last season and so did Nizaam (Carr) so we are trying new combinations but we do have Cameron and Elrigh on the bench so we could finish with those two as well,”

“To allow players to have rhythm, I’ll look to have some guys a couple of opportunities to get some minutes under their belts, learning the combinations and then look to change with some fresh legs. We are only in game four of the tournament, so we have some time to play around but this is a good position to be in where you can have three really good hookers to choose from or other combinations at the back.”

On Gumede making his debut: “I hope we get to see him as we did against Namibia. He was outstanding against them, and he looked like the real deal for me. He is a good athlete, he is big, and he is a great ball carrier with great feel,”

“I don’t think it is about he plays but how that combination looks. Him, Cyle and Nizaam are nice and balanced with skillset that complement one another,”

“Without putting pressure on him I just want him to do what he did on that game against Namibia. He had a great impact with great presence, and he offers a lot. Tall guy with presence at the back of the line out as well and as I said he has a bit of everything so he must just go out and enjoy the game on Friday.”

On the strong forward-packed impact squad, White remarked: “Look it is something that we have that allows us a different option of forwards and also it might be a game where it is on 4G and on a week three of a tour so it is a bit of a bit of gut feel that we try it and see how it works out for us,”

“Not forgetting that Keagan Johannes who plays at 9, has played 10 before as well and fullback, paired up with a guy like Johan Goosen who has also played centre, fullback and flyhalf so we are probably covered with two backs who can play most positions in the backline.”

Speaking about their opponents this week, the Vodacom Bulls mentor said: “They have a new coach with Dai Young having left but their new head coach has been with the club and knows the players. One thing we do know is that they play on a 4G pitch, and they caught us on the tempo of the game the last time we were here, and I must say that the opening 20 minutes was very quick so I am sure it will be the same this time around,”

“There could be an element of surprise in that there is a new group of players and new coaches but I do know Welsh rugby and the style of play so I do not think they will go too far away from what they know, and which has been part of their DNA for a long time.”

Asked about how conditions may impact the game, White commented: “The conditions do have an impact on the game. If we look at the opening game on tour, we thought we could play with the wind, and it didn’t work out quite well for us. In Parma, we played with the wind and that helped us a lot. We will have a look at what the weather is like when we are in the park and see how we use that to our advantage.”

VODACOM BULLS vs CARDIFF RUGBY STARTING XV:

1. Simphiwe Matanzima, 2. Akker van der Merwe, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Reinhardt Ludwig, 5. Janko Swanepoel, 6. Nizaam Carr (c), 7. Cyle Brink, 8. Mpilo Gumede, 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Chris Smith, 11. Sergeal Petersen, 12. David Kriel, 13. Stedman Gans, 14. Sebastian de Klerk, 15. Devon Williams

VODACOM BULLS IMPACT SQUAD:

16. Johan Grobbelaar, 17. Gerhard Steenekamp, 18. Mornay Smith, 19. Ruan Nortje, 20. Elrigh Louw, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Johan Goosen, 24. Cameron Hanekom

** Hanekom is player 23 but will run out in jersey 24 because of size constraints

MANAGEMENT:

Jake White – Director of Rugby, Chris Rossouw – Assistant Coach, Gary Gold – Assistant Coach, Andries Bekker – Assistant Coach, John-William Meyer – Technical Analyst, Dr. Herman Rossouw – Team Doctor, Lance Lemmetjies – Senior Physiotherapist, Darryn Berry – Physiotherapist, Andre Volsteedt – Strength & Conditioning, Yusuf Vahed – Sport Scientist, Elias Bennett – Team Manager, Simon Dyidi – Logistics Manager