Bulls v Crusaders: Teams

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has named an unchanged line-up to play the Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

At Loftus Versfeld, Saturday April 7, kick-off 16.05 BST

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has named an unchanged line-up to play the Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. With Willie Wepener still unavailable, Ludeke has once again picked Bongi Mbonambi as his back-up hooker. "Willie is suffering from a virus that attacks his facial nerves and will be out of action for between three weeks and even up to three months," said Ludeke. "It is a great pity for him, but unfortunately there is no instant cure. We back Bongi to be an able replacement as he is a product of our junior structures. " Mbonambi could earn a first ever Super Rugby cap if he gets a run. The 21-year-old is a regular starter in the Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup team. After losing last week to the Stormers in Cape Town, Ludeke's troops must beat the Crusaders if they want to stay in the hunt. "This is a very important one for us," he said. "A win would sustain momentum and our hard work, but a defeat could see us on the wrong side of the log. They are a team full of World Cup-winning All Blacks, so we will have to be at our very best."

Carter the kicker

Crusaders have made just one change to their starting XV with Ryan Crotty returning from injury to start at inside centre, with Tom Taylor back on the bench. Taylor's demotion means that All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter will be handed the kicking duties for the first time since he suffered a serious groin injury during training at last year's World Cup. The Crusaders have not won in Pretoria since 2008 and coach Todd Blackadder will need his pivot to do more than just kick against the three-time champion hosts. "We have seen through his actions this week that he is ready. I think last week it was a bit like having a toe in the water," Blackadder told Fairfax media. "Everyone expects big things from him but he is just normal, he just needed time in the saddle and to get a feel for things again. He probably got a good pass mark, but he is looking sharp this week." Blackadder confirmed that Carter's return to the kicking tee had always been planned for this weekend and the fly-half looked confident as he struck the ball alongside team physiotherapist John Roche this week. "That was always the plan," added Blackadder. "For the last month we have talked about this. Tom was doing a good job but he has still got a little bit to go. "Ryan provides good leadership, is highly experienced and just gives us that punch. For these big games you need all the experience you can get out there." Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht. Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Tom Marshall.