News

Same again for Blue Bulls

Wednesday 22nd October 2008

Winning combo: Kirchner and Mametsa will team up again in Akona Ndungane's absence

Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has predictably retained the side that beat the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup semi-final two weeks ago for Saturday's Final against the Sharks in Durban.

The seven replacements are also the same that did duty against the Cheetahs.

Springbok wing Akona Ndungane was not considered as he did not pass his fitness test on Monday.

Based on this line-up, the Blue Bulls are placing a lot of store in this game on their experience of winning finals.

Apart from the three Currie Cup titles they won outright at the start of this decade and the one they shared with the Cheetahs, they also won a tense Super 14 final against the Sharks in Durban last year.

Victor Matfield, back from Toulon after missing the Super 14, is being relied upon heavily to keep his men calm.

The one thing the Bulls do have, after Bryan Habana's late match-changing try last year, is the confidence of knowing that they have been behind before in a final and then come back to win it.

Now that the rather bizarre dead week is behind them, both the two teams contesting the Currie Cup final started the proper build-up on Monday with few distractions or sideshows to bother them ahead of Durban's grand finale.

Having two weeks off before a final is a unique situation for both teams, and while the Sharks have opted to treat it as business as usual, with the team training until Thursday of last week, that does not mean it would be right to question the Bulls approach.

What the two-week break has done though is water down the build-up and media hype, which also went into a bit of a hiatus towards the end of last week.

But with five days to go, Currie Cup fever is set to make itself felt as the two teams step up the intensity.

Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 John Mametsa, 13 Marius Delport, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Rayno Gerber, 2 Derick Kuun, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Juandre' Kruger, 19 Dewald Potgieter, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Tiger Mangweni.

Date: Saturday, October 25
Venue: Absa Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 16:30 (14:30 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Touch judges: Joey Salmans, JC Fortuin
TMO: Shaun Veldsman