Major overhaul of Bulls team as Johan Ackermann plots Pau ambush

Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has pressed the reset button ahead of Friday night’s Champions Cup clash against Pau, making 11 changes to the side that lost to Bristol Bears in Pretoria last week.

There is a clear element of rotation involved as Ackermann manages his squad ahead of next week’s challenging United Rugby Championship (URC) encounter with Edinburgh in the Scottish capital.

With the Bulls currently rooted to the bottom of Pool 4, their Champions Cup hopes are hanging by a thread; they will require a miracle to qualify for the round of 16. Consequently, Ackermann has overhauled his line-up, making seven changes to the starting pack and four in the backline, alongside multiple rotations on the bench.

Most of the first-choice forwards from last weekend have been moved to the replacements’ bench, with the notable exception of Springbok powerhouse Wilco Louw, who drops out of the matchday squad entirely due to an injury niggle. Regular captain Ruan Nortje is among those rested on the bench, allowing the veteran Marcell Coetzee to return to the starting XV as captain.

Two of the most significant tactical shifts involve the return of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheswill Jooste on the wings. Their inclusion sees speedster Sebastian de Klerk shift to outside centre. De Klerk has been a standout performer for the Bulls recently and will relish the opportunity to operate closer to the action in the midfield.

Elsewhere, the in-form Mpilo Gumede earns a welcome start in the loose trio, while promising lock Reinhardt Ludwig returns to the starting engine room. The bench offers a potent blend of "grunt and guile", with Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, and Jeandré Rudolph available to provide late-game impetus.

Bulls team for Pau

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Sebastian de Klerk, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Mpilo Gumede, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 5 Reinhardt Ludwig, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Bench: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Ruan Nortje, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 David Kriel, 23 Jeandre Rudolph