Young Bulls get chance to prove themselves in Super Rugby opener v Stormers
The Bulls will usher in a new era with their Super Rugby opener against the Stormers on Saturday.With a relatively inexperienced squad, coach Nollis Marais' side will automatically gain the "underdogs" tag going into the Newlands clash."I think we were underdogs when pre-season started," Marais said on Wednesday."I read all the newspapers and heard what the people had to say, but at the end of the day it's an away game, which is always a 50/50."The pressure is not on us, it will be on the Stormers. I've spoken to [Stormers coach] Robbie Fleck and it's a massive game for them. We are going to be underdogs."The Bulls had yet another exodus of players at the end of last year's Super Rugby - some into retirement and others to play their rugby overseas.The result is that a string of players from the Bulls' juniors were elevated to the senior team.Four players will be making their Super Rugby debuts on Saturday - Warrick Gelant, Jannes Kirsten, Nic de Jager and RG Snyman - while uncapped Lizo Gqoboka and Jason Jenkins will make their first appearances from the bench."It's time now to start over and enforce the things that we believe in," said Marais.But as youthful as the bulk of the team might be, the Bulls will also have eight Springboks in the starting line-up, with another - Piet van Zyl - on the bench.In last year's Currie Cup Marais selected a loose-forward trio that consisted only of fetchers - Lappies Labuschagne, Roelof Smit and Hanro Liebenberg. Interestingly, in the team he named yesterday there was no specialist fetcher in the starting 15.There will be two debutants - De Jager and Kirsten - on the flanks and Bok Arno Botha at No8, Smit will come on from the bench as an impact player."If you look at the Stormers - Siya (Kolisi), Nizaam (Carr), Schalk (Burger) and (Sikhumbuzo) Notshe - those are the same kind of players we have," Marais said.Bulls' starting 15: Warrick Gelant, Travis Ismaiel, Jesse Kriel, Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Francois Brummer, Rudy Paige, Arno Botha, Jannes Kirsten, Nic de Jager, Grant Hattingh, RG Snyman, Marcel van der Walt, Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane.Replacements: Jaco Visagie, Lizo Gqoboka, Hencus van Wyk, Jason Jenkins, Roelof Smit, Piet van Zyl, Tian Schoeman, Burger Odendaal...
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