Last roll of the dice for Bulls in Champions Cup battle against Pau in France

The Bulls are set to travel to Pau in France with 15 Springboks in their touring squad as they look to arrest their worrying run of form in their final Champions Cup pool clash on Friday night.

Despite being rooted to the bottom of their pool, the Pretoria-based side is still in the race for the playoffs, which means there is little room for experimentation or squad rotation. Under new head coach Johan Ackermann, the Bulls are desperate to halt a seven-match losing streak that has placed early pressure on the season and on a squad that has underperformed relative to its talent.

Speedster Kurt-Lee Arendse and utility back Canan Moodie are back after concussions, but loosehead Gerhard Steenekamp will miss the trip through injury. Flyhalf Handré Pollard, fullback Willie le Roux and tighthead prop Wilco Louw are some of the big-name Boks also making the tour. 

Ordinarily, a long and demanding trip to France might offer an opportunity to rest frontline players, especially with the United Rugby Championship (URC) also demanding attention.

However, Champions Cup regulations make that option virtually impossible. EPCR squad restrictions limit the number of players that can be registered for the tournament, specifically to prevent teams from fielding understrength sides in away fixtures. As a result, Ackermann cannot simply dip into an extended squad to pad out his matchday selection.

The reality is that many of the Bulls’ senior players and Springboks are likely to be on the plane to Pau, regardless of form, fatigue or the unfamiliar French conditions that await them. It is a clear indication of just how seriously the Bulls are taking this fixture, despite the odds being stacked against them.

While snapping their losing streak away from home against French opposition appears a tall order, the Bulls will view the match as a potential turning point. A strong performance, even more than a result, could provide much-needed confidence and belief ahead of the next phase of their campaign.

“The entire squad was let know that they must be ready to fly out,” Ackermann said.

“It is tough to balance the group because we have one foot in the Champions Cup and one foot in the URC. We must select a squad that wants to be competitive in both, and a bit of planning must go into it.

“We must really consider the next two games and what we want to achieve.”

Although they face two crucial games in their competitions, the Bulls’ immediate focus is on Pau and putting in a good performance. Ackermann says it will be a fine balance in selecting the team for this coming weekend, but it looks like they will have to manage with the squad they selected against Bristol and freshen things up with certain players.

The Bulls will travel from France to Scotland, where they will face Edinburgh in two weeks when the URC resumes. This made the decision to include the top players slightly easier.

Bulls touring squad

Loosehead props: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Alulutho Tshakweni, Sti Sithole. Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar, Akker van der Merwe. Tighthead props: Wilco Louw, Mornay Smith, Francois Klopper. Locks: Cobus Wiese, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortjé, Reinhardt Ludwig. Loose forwards: Marco van Staden, Marcell Coetzee, Elrigh Louw, Mpilo Gumede, Jeandré Rudolph, Nizaam Carr. Scrumhalves: Embrose Papier, Zak Burger. Flyhalves: Handré Pollard, Keagan Johannes. Centres: Harold Vorster, David Kriel, Canan Moodie, Stedman Gans. Wingers: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Stravino Jacobs, Cheswill Jooste. Fullbacks: Willie le Roux, Devon Williams.