Akker van der Merwe will skipper a Bulls outfit brimming with new talent and seasoned campaigners in their Vodacom URC opener against Edinburgh in Pretoria on Saturday.
The veteran hooker packs down in the front row with fellow Springbok powerhouse Wilco Louw and Alulutho Tshakweni, who is set to make his URC debut for the Herd alongside loose forward Nama Xaba, lock Cobus Wiese and utility backs Boeta Chamberlain and Aphiwe Dyanthi at Loftus Versfeld.
World Cup winner Canan Moodie starts in an exciting back three with the versatile David Kriel and Sebastian de Klerk, while former co-captain Marcell Coetzee, new Bok Johan Grobbelaar and Junior Springbok star JF van Heerden are in line to make an impact off the bench.
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Jake White’s charges will be keen to start 2024-25 on a winning note after their six-game winning run in the competition ended in defeat to the Glasgow Warriors in last season’s final.
The 2023-24 URC campaign for the Bulls was otherwise a standout as the Pretoria outfit hosted the decider and claimed the South African Shield with a second-place regular season finish.
The Highvelders will fancy their chances against Edinburgh, who have won only two of their last 10 URC matches against SA teams – both at home in Scotland, to the Lions and Bulls late last year. Furthermore, the last three encounters between the Bulls and Edinburgh have been won by the hosts.
Photo: Paul Harding/Getty Images/Gallo Images
