Immelman to wing it for Bulls
07/18/2024 06:03 AM
Henry Immelman will make just his fourth competitive appearance for the Vodacom Bulls this season in a handful of changes to the team to face the Cheetahs in Pretoria on Friday.
Immelman, who last featured for the Bulls during the Champions Cup quarter-finals in April, starts at right wing for the round 3 Currie Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld.
He slots in out wide with Stravino Jacobs retained on the left and Devon Williams at fullback. Flyhalf Chris Smith swaps places with Jaco van der Walt on the bench in a new halfback pairing with scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde.
In the pack, loosehead prop Dylan Smith returns to the run-on XV after Jan-Hendrik Wessels' Springbok callup. He will pack down alongside hooker Joe van Zyl and tighthead Francois Klopper.
Sintu Manjezi has a new lock partner in Jannes Kirsten, who shifts from blindside flanker to No 5 in the absence of Cobus Wiese.
"Cobus Wiese is not available for us this week for family reason and Boeta Chamberlain misses out because he was away the weekend before and the short turnaround just did not allow us to
integrate him back," head coach Phiwe Nomlomo explained.
ALSO: Wessels wired for Bok baptism of fire
Merwe Olivier is promoted from the bench to complement a powerful and dynamic loose trio with skipper Nizaam Carr and Mpilo Gumede. Meanwhile, replacement Abulele Ndabambi is set to make his senior Bulls debut in a 5-3 split.
The Bulls are 2-0 in the 2024 Currie Cup after two games on the road, and on the challenge posed by the unbeaten defending champion Cheetahs, Nomlomo adds, "It has been a good start for us and ours is to keep the consistency going forward.
"They [Cheetahs] have been on a good run against us for a while now but [Friday] is not about revenge or anything but an opportunity for us to execute what we have been working on.
"Yes, we take learnings from the past and the game in itself is very important, considering they are one of the unbeaten sides in the competition so we must look to be on top of our game."
Bulls – 15 Devon Williams, 14 Henry Immelman, 13 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 12 Chris Barend Smit, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Bernard van der Linde, 8 Mpilo Gumede, 7 Merwe Olivier, 6 Nizaam Carr (c), 5 Jannes Kirsten, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Joe van Zyl, 1 Dylan Smith.
Subs: 16 Juann Else, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Abulele Ndabambi, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Cornal Hendricks.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
The post Immelman to wing it for Bulls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
