Cardiff Rugby Make Six Changes for Crucial Bulls Clash
Cardiff Rugby have announced six changes to their starting line-up for their crucial BKT United Rugby Championship clash against Vodacom Bulls on Saturday (3pm). The Blue & Blacks travel to Loftus Versfeld sitting fifth in the URC table and with everything to play for in the race for the top eight.
According to Cardiff Rugby’s official website, head coach Matt Sherratt has given his side a slight refresh with five of the changes coming in the pack. Corey Domachowski and Evan Lloyd come into the starting line-up alongside Kieron Assiratti to form a powerful front-row, while Rory Thornton partners Josh McNally in the second-row.
In the back-row, James Botham switches back to seven with Alex Mann and Alun Lawrence packing down at six and number eight. One further change comes in the back-line with Tinus de Beer forming a Pretoria-born half-back pairing with Johan Mulder. As Cardiff Rugby’s website reports, Sherratt said: “It’s great to go into this final two weeks in South Africa with so much to play for and we are determined to cement our place in the URC play-offs."
The play-offs would be a significant achievement for the team, with qualification for the Champions Cup being the reward. Sherratt added: “We will be doing everything possible to stay in that top eight but we are well aware of how tough the next two weeks will be. It all starts on Saturday against the Bulls, who are a quality side and will be hugely motivated to secure a top seeding."
The Bulls are known for their big, powerful set-piece and pack, with some really dangerous players behind. However, Sherratt is confident that his team has prepared well and is looking forward to the challenge and experience of two weeks in South Africa. As Cardiff Rugby’s website quotes Sherratt, he said: “We have prepared well, we are looking forward to the challenge and experience of two weeks in South Africa and we will not go down wondering.”
Sherratt has again opted for a 6-2 split on the replacements bench with Rory Jennings providing the three-quarter cover. The likes of club captain Liam Belcher, Teddy Williams and Taulupe Faletau provide further quality to the pack off the bench. The full team for Cardiff Rugby is: Cam Winnett, Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas (capt), Gabe Hamer-Webb, Tinus de Beer, Johan Mulder; Corey Domachowski, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, Josh McNally, Rory Thornton, Alex Mann, James Botham, Alun Lawrence.
The replacements are: Liam Belcher, Danny Southworth, Rhys Litterick, Teddy Williams, Dan Thomas, Taulupe Faletau, Aled Davies, Rory Jennings. With this team, Cardiff Rugby will look to secure a vital win against the Bulls and cement their place in the URC play-offs. According to Cardiff Rugby’s official website, the team is focused on achieving their goal and will do everything possible to make it happen.
