The Border Bulldogs received good and bad news before their Vodacom Shield final against Griquas in East London at the Absa Stadium on Saturday.
While tighthead prop Vaughn Graham is out with a torn calf muscle, the Bulldogs welcome the return of flyhalf Gareth Wright who has recovered from a wrist injury, and scrumhalf Josh Fowles who spent time with the Sharks.
With Graham sidelined, Danie Thiart now gets to start and Michael Coetzee comes onto the bench.
A huge crowd is expected to watch the match which is the Bulldogs’s first home final since 1990.
Bulldogs’s coach, Kobus van der Merwe, believes the Griquas pack will be a tough nut to crack and this week a lot of emphasis was placed on improved lineout work and scrumming.
”In our previous match Griquas frequently used their forwards to drive the ball up and I expect them to employ the same tactic, so we’ll have to be up to it,” he said.
The Bulldogs’s strength so far has been their backline and the accurate boot of flyhalf Werner Bester.
Despite it being a final, the home side are unlikely to change their tactics and will be eager to give the ball plenty of air where wings Odwa Ndungane and Chumani Booi are the dangermen.
Bulldogs: Tiger Mangweni, Chumani Booi, Tinus van Rensburg, Vusumzi Mbulali, Odwa Ndungane, Werner Bester, Vido Nako, Pietie Loots, Gareth Krause, Derek Hendry (capt), Blackie Swart, Bruce Cumming, Danie Thiart, Hugo Horn, Jane du Toit. Reserves: Johan van Wyk, Michael Coetzee, Edrich Lubbe, Zolani Mofu, Josh Fowles, Gareth Wright, Werner Coetzer. – Sapa