Cloete back in starting line-up for clash against Blue Bulls

Oct 11 • General News • 4733 Views • Comments Off on Cloete back in starting line-up for clash against Blue Bulls

Steval Pumas coach Brent Janse van Rensburg has played his biggest trump card by including flanker Chris Cloete in his starting line-up for Friday night’s Currie Cup fixture against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

It will be Cloete’s last fixture before joining Irish club Munster at the completion of the domestic season who will start as open side flanker and with injuries to Brian Shabangu and Thembelani Bholi the timing couldn’t be better.

Janse van Rensburg had to replace Bholi, Shabangu, lock Stefan Willemse and fullback Justin van Staden for the final fling of the season.

Cloete and Nardus van der Walt will start on the side of the scrum, Jannie Stander will fill Willemse’s boots and Gerrit Smith moves from midfield to fullback.

In two other positional switches Trompie Pretorius moves to outside centre with Selom Gavor getting a starting opportunity on the wing.

Winger Gerrie Labuschagne gets his first opportunity in the match day 22.

Pumas versus Blue Bulls: Gerrit Smit; Selom Gavor, Jerome Pretorius, Hennie Skorbinski, Ruwellyn Isbel; Kobus Marais, Stefan Ungerer; Willie Engelbrecht, Nardus van der Walt, Chris Cloete, Hugo Kloppers, Jannie Stander, Pieter Scholtz, Marko Janse van Rensburg, Khwezi Mona. Reserves: Frankie Herne, De-Jay Terblanche, Cameron Lindsay, Hilton Lobberts, Francois Kleinhans, Reynier van Rooyen, Gerrie Labuschagne.