Bulls’ ‘Bomb Squad’ ready to detonate: Goosen and Hanekom back for Bayonne Challenge Cup

Meghan Trainor’s hit song may be entitled ‘All About That Bass’, but it will be all about the bench for the Bulls in Saturday’s Challenge Cup last-16 clash against Bayonne in France (1.30pm start).

While coach Jake White named a well-balanced starting line-up on Friday, he has loaded his replacements group with a number of top-class figures who can bring the necessary impact in the second half.

First on that list would be star No 8 Cameron Hanekom, who has shaken off a back issue that kept him out of last week’s 63-24 URC drubbing of Zebre at Loftus Versfeld.

But if Bayonne were thinking that’s the end of the Bulls’ second-half impact, they’ve got another thing coming – the Pretoria side’s unique ‘Bomb Squad’.

Even though it doesn’t match the Springboks’ six-two split, three out of the five forwards are Test players in hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels, lock Ruan Nortjé and loose forward Hanekom.

Add in three excellent backs in Embrose Papier, fit-again Johan Goosen and centre Stedman Gans, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

That’s not to say that the starting line-up can’t do the job themselves. The loose trio features captain Marcell Coetzee at No 8, with Marco van Staden coming in at openside flank, while the front row is a brand-new one.

Scrum master Wilco Louw returns at tighthead prop, and he will have serious firepower next to him in the shape of Akker van der Merwe and Simphiwe Matanzima, while Reinhardt Ludwig will line up at No 4 lock.

The backline is the same one that started against Zebre, so halfbacks Zak Burger and Keagan Johannes in particular will look to build on what was a memorable outing against the Italians.

“It is a bit of a mix and match, and it is because some guys are coming back from injury,” White said from Bayonne on Friday.

“So, a guy like Ruan Nortjé has only played 30 minutes, Cameron was injured for a couple of weeks. Simphiwe has been working hard on his fitness as he has been ill for a while. It is a team that I think is competitive.

Asked about wanting to finish well with the bench, White said: “It’s exactly that. But it’s also sometimes through circumstance as well.

“Ruan hasn’t played much rugby and is helluva important to us, so he’ll get a lot more minutes this week hopefully than he did last week.

“Cameron the same, as he’s been out for a while. Goosen will be the same and is very important to us. Coming back, I don’t think he’ll last 50 or 60 minutes.

“So, we’re going to manage the game and the players. It’s not just one or the other.”

Bulls Team

15 Devon Williams 14 Sergeal Petersen 13 David Kriel 12 Harold Vorster 11 Stravino Jacobs 10 Keagan Johannes 9 Zak Burger 8 Marcell Coetzee (captain) 7 Jannes Kirsten 6 Marco van Staden 5 JF van Heerden 4 Reinhardt Ludwig 3 Wilco Louw 2 Akker van der Merwe 1 Simphiwe Matanzima.

Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 17 Alulutho Tshakweni 18 Mornay Smith 19 Ruan Nortjé 20 Cameron Hanekom 21 Embrose Papier 22 Johan Goosen 23 Stedman Gans.

Bayonne: 15 Cheikh Tiberghien 14 Nadir Megdoud 13 Arnaud Erbinartegaray 12 Federico Mori 11 Xan Mousques 10 Tom Spring 9 Baptiste Germain 8 Giovanni Habel-Kuffner (captain) 7 Remi Bourdeau 6 Noa Traversier 5 Alex Moon 4 Veikoso Poloniati 3 Tevita Tatafu 2 Lucas Martin 1 Pierre Castillon.

Bench: 16 Vincent Giudicelli 17 Martin Villar 18 Pieter Scholtz 19 Denis Marchois 20 Lucas Paulos 21 Baptiste Chouzenoux 22 Baptiste Tilloles 23 Aurelien Callandret.