Bulls' semifinal hero Van Zyl likely to miss out on final action

Despite his emergence as a hero after spearheading the Blue Bulls to their first Currie Cup final in seven years‚ scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl may lose out on a place on the Pretoria side’s bus to Bloemfontein when they face the Free State Cheetahs in the championship-decider on Saturday.

The 21-year-old‚ who came on late in the semifinal against Western Province at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday‚ clinched the victory for the Bulls with a match-winning last-minute try.

However‚ according to Bulls coach Nollis Marais‚ the scrumhalf could miss out on being a part of the team that will take on the Cheetahs in the final at the Free State Stadium.

The coach is set to prefer experience for the crunch clash.

With the possibility of former Cheetahs No9 Piet van Zyl making a return from a concussion he sustained while he was with the Springboks ahead of the final Rugby Championship match a fortnight ago‚ Marais is likely to pick Rudy Paige as his starting halfback and the injury-returnee on the bench‚ leaving no space in the side for the weekend’s hero.

“I think Paigy was brilliant in the game against Australia here‚ [he] got concussed‚ struggled a bit with the pace‚ but he took control. He was good in defence and organizing – he was very vital for us‚” Marais said.

“Piet has been playing very well for us this season. I would still go for Rudy Paige and Piet van Zyl.

“Ivan is in our plans for the future. Piet’s been very good the whole season and if he comes through from his concussion‚ he will definitely be in the side.”

The Bulls coach was left highly impressed by the contribution of his charges in the semifinal victory over Western Province.

Open-side flanker Roelof Smit was one of the stars of the Bulls show as he proved vital at the breakdown‚ cementing his place as one of the widely-respected fetchers in the country.

“I think Roelof Smit‚ at the moment‚ is the only open-sider in South Africa that plays to the ball‚” Marais said.

“He made three or four vital turnovers for us. We wanted to take him off earlier because of a hamstring strain‚ but he was too vital for us.”

The Bulls coach will be hoping that his senior players‚ who led from the front against Province‚ will be equal to the task against the Cheetahs as well.

“(Captain) Arno (Botha) showed his leadership and when I took him off‚ our plan came together with Hanro (Liebenberg) taking over as captain‚ it worked well for us‚” said Marais.

“Our senior players‚ we don’t have a lot of them‚ are playing brilliantly.

"A guy like Bjorn (Basson) came in at fullback and he was very good. I don’t want seniors‚ I want guys who can contribute‚ and that is what they are doing at the moment.

“Jamba and Travis speak for themselves. They are the top two wings in South Africa in my opinion

“You look at Sergeal Petersen‚ Raymond Rhule and Clayton Blommetjies – so much talent at the moment in South Africa – but if you are looking for size‚ big guys‚ playing every game‚ those (Ismaiel and Ulengo) are the boys. They are brilliant.” - TMG Digital