The Bulls' bid to return to the URC final just received a major boost

The Bulls are set to welcome back fly-half Johan Goosen into the starting XV for their United Rugby Championship semi-final against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The 32-year-old has recovered from a knee operation less than a month ago to reclaim the No.10 jersey for the South African derby as the Bulls look to make back-to-back URC finals and their third in four years.

Goosen’s return marks the only change to the starting XV made by Jake White from the one that triumphed over Edinburgh in the quarter-finals in a match where the hosts were not necessarily firing on all cylinders.

The starting fly-half against the Scottish outfit, Keagan Johannes, has dropped to the bench this week, while Stedman Gans has dropped out of the matchday 23 entirely.

While White has had the luxury of bringing a Springbok back into the fold, his counterpart, John Plumtree, has been less fortunate this week.

The Sharks have lost two Springboks this week: Jason Jenkins and, more disastrously, captain Eben Etzebeth.

Bulls XV
1. Jan-hendrik Wessels
2. Johan Grobbelaar
3. Wilco Louw
4. Cobus Wiese
5. JF van Heerden
6. Marcell Coetzee
7. Ruan Nortje (c)
8. Cameron Hanekom
9. Embrose Papier
10. Johan Goosen
11. Sebastian de Klerk
12. Harold Vorster
13. David Kriel
14. Canon Moodie
15. Willie le Roux

Replacements
16. Akker van der Merwe
17. Simphiwe Matanzima
18. Mornay Smith
19. Jannes Kirsten
20. Marco van Staden
21. Zak Burger
22. Keagan Johannes
23. Devon Williams