epa08141502 Vodacom Bulls players celebrate with team mate Cornal Hendricks (L) after he scored a last minute try during the Super Hero Sunday match played at Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa, 19 January 2020. The matches serves as warm up matches for the 2020 Super Rugby Championship. EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
Super Rugby 2020 fixtures: Bulls vs Highlanders – prediction, teams, score and result
The struggling Bulls host the Highlanders in Saturday evening’s Super Rugby clash. We give you the run-down on what you need to know.
epa08141502 Vodacom Bulls players celebrate with team mate Cornal Hendricks (L) after he scored a last minute try during the Super Hero Sunday match played at Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa, 19 January 2020. The matches serves as warm up matches for the 2020 Super Rugby Championship. EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
The Bulls are the only Super Rugby side with no wins this season, having played four games. Time is running out for Pote Human’s charges and they have an opportunity at Loftus Versfeld against another struggling side, the Highlanders.
The Highlanders’ only win so far this season was a 23-22 nail-biter against the Brumbies. They lost their last game 28-22 at home to the Rebels.
The Bulls were embarrassed 39-24 on home soil by the Jaguares and will be desperate to put that behind them.
“If every player is not on par in Super Rugby, you see what happens… We gave them soft, soft tries and that cost us at the end,” Bulls coach Pote Human said post-game.
“For me, I will try to keep the players positive, but this is not good enough — not for the Bulls,” he admitted, pledging to have a “hard look” at himself.
So far, Human has seemed short of answers. He will need to find them quickly as the walls close in on his struggling side.
Team news: The Highlanders have named an experienced side minus James Lentjes, who is out for the season with an ankle injury.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have finally brought Manie Libbok into the starting XV at
flyhalf. Morne Steyn drops to the bench, while no8 Muller Uys and lock Ian
Groenewald get their Super Rugby debuts for the hosts.
Bulls XV: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Nafi Tuitavake, 12 Johnny Kotze, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Muller Uys, 7 Josh Strauss, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Ian Groenewald, 3 Trevor Nyakane (c), 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Bulls bench: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Ryno Pieterse, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Divan Rossouw
Highlanders XV: 15 Michael Collins, 14 Josh McKay, 13 Ngane Punivai, 12 Josh Ioane, 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Mitch Hunt, 9 Aaron Smith (co-captain), 8 Marino Mikaele Tu’u, 7 Dillon Hunt, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 4 Jesse Parete, 3 Siate Tokolahi, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Ayden Johnstone
Highlanders bench: 16 Ash Dixon (co-captain), 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Jack Whetton, 20 Teariki Ben-Nicholas, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Teihorangi Walden, 23 Tima Fainga’anuku
Kick-off time: 7 March, 17:15
Prediction: Bulls by three. Get all the predictions for Round 6 here.
Super Rugby 2020 score and result: Bulls vs Highlanders
Our live updates will appear below. They might take a little while to load on slower connections. Please be patient, we apologise for any inconvenience.
