Bulls name team to face Glasgow with telling absence of Springbok star

Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has named his side to take on Glasgow Warriors on Friday in the United Rugby Championship, with hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels missing.

It has been widely reported that the South Africa international has been handed a nine-week ban for allegedly grabbing the genitals of Connacht’s Josh Murphy last week, and though the decision has not been officially announced yet, the selection decision effectively confirms those reports.

This is just one of many changes that have been made to the team. In the front-row, Gerhard Steenekamp and Johan Grobbelaar return to the starting XV, with the latter taking Wessels’ place. Mornay Smith, meanwhile, will replace Wilco Louw at tighthead.

Springbok Ruan Nortje is back to captain the side, with Marcell Coetzee’s experience added at blindside.

Behind the scrum, Embrose Papier starts ahead of Paul de Wet at scrum-half, with Stravino Jacobs taking Canan Moodie’s place in the side.

Fixture

United Rugby Championship

Glasgow

21 - 12

Full-time

Bulls

All Stats and Data

Across the entire team, the only department that has not been changed from the narrow victory over Connacht is the centres, with Jan Serfontein and David Kriel set to start again.

Bulls XV
15 Willie le Roux
14 Sebastian de Klerk
13 David Kriel
12 Jan Serfontein
11 Stravino Jacobs
10 Keagan Johannes
9 Embrose Papier
1 Gerhard Steenekamp
2 Johan Grobbelaar
3 Mornay Smith
4 Cobus Wiese
5 Ruan Nortje (c)
6 Marcell Coetzee
7 Reinhardt Ludwig
8 Jeandre Rudolph

Replacements
16 Juann Else
17 Etienne Janneke
18 Francois Klopper
19 JJ Theron
20 Nama Xaba
21 Paul de Wet
22 Stedman Gans
23 Kurt-Lee Arendse