Bulls, Sharks to renew rivalry
The Vodacom Bulls and the Cell C Sharks will renew their rivalry in Super Rugby when the teams meet at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday, 12 May 2018, kick-off at 17h15 CAT.
This match will go a long way in determining whether one or both of these teams are able to secure a place in the knockout stages of the competition.
The Bulls come into the clash having suffered successive defeats at the hands of the Highlanders and the Stormers in the last two weeks, results which have ruined the momentum they built with a hat-trick of victories from late March into April.
By contrast, the Sharks are chasing a third straight win, having beaten the Highlanders and the Stormers 38-12 and 24-17 respectively.
The Pretoria-based franchise is placed 11th on the combined log – and last in the South African conference – while the Durban side is eighth and third respectively.
The teams have met in 26 previous Super Rugby clashes, with the Bulls claiming 15 wins compared to nine for the Sharks. The Gauteng team was also victorious when the pair met in Durban on April 14, claiming a surprise 40-10 triumph at the ‘Shark Tank’.
Recent form, latest results first
| Bulls | L | L | W | W | W |
| Sharks | W | W | L | L | W |
Head-to-head, Super Rugby
Matches played 26
Bulls wins: 15
Sharks wins: 9
Draws 2
Teams:
Bulls
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Johnny Kotze, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Jason Jenkins, 6 Roelof Smit, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Substitutes: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Frans van Wyk/Nqoba Mxoli, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Thembelani Bholi, 20 Nic de Jager, 21 Andre Warner, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Divan Rossouw
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Lwazi Mvovo