Captain Nama Xaba is among three Bulls XV players ruled out for the remainder of the Currie Cup campaign.
Hooker Shaun Schürmann and centre PA van Niekerk were both forced off early in last Saturday’s 56-26 defeat against Griquas in Kimberley with knee injuries, and coach Phiwe Nomlomo confirmed on Wednesday that neither player will feature again this season.
Xaba has also been ruled out for the rest of the campaign due to a broken finger, with Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg taking over the captaincy.
There was more bad news for the Bulls ahead of Saturday’s match against the Lions at Ellis Park.
“[No 8] JJ Theron picked up a knock and hasn’t recovered in time, so he’s unavailable. [Scrumhalf] Neil le Roux picked up a niggle and is also unavailable. We’re still waiting to see how [fullback] Devon Williams goes [at training],” said Nomlomo.
Prop Mawande Mdanda, meanwhile, has a wrist injury.
Having lost their opening match to Boland in Wellington, the Bulls are bottom of the Currie Cup log, dampening the optimism generated by their SA Rugby U23 Cup title triumph two months ago.
“The U23 Cup helped because we were able to play everyone in our squad and prepare for the Currie Cup,” Nomlomo said. “Unfortunately, since then we’ve picked up close to 20 injuries, and that doesn’t help at all. The list is just piling up.”
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The Bulls’ depth is also being tested by the start of the SA Rugby U20 Cup this weekend, while their URC squad is preparing to face the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld on 15 August.
“We’re servicing three teams at the moment,” said Nomlomo. “It’s all hands on deck.
“We’re doing our best to make sure all the teams are as competitive as possible.”
The Bulls will face a Lions side that narrowly lost their opening match to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein before hammering the Pumas at Ellis Park last week.
The last time the teams met, in the U23 Cup final at Ellis Park, the Bulls won 33-32, but Nomlomo says that won’t count for much on Saturday.
“We won that final, but this is the Currie Cup and a completely different campaign, so it comes with different challenges.
“We’ve played each other enough to know each other well. The boys know each other extremely well because they’re friends and the unions are so close.
“It’s Bulls against Lions, it’s a derby, so there’s already so much in it. There won’t be anything extra because we played each other in a final before.”
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Photo: Danie van der Lith/Gallo Images
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Captain Nama Xaba is among three Bulls XV players ruled out for the remainder of the Currie Cup campaign.
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