Bulls can follow Stormers’ blueprint for clash against Springbok-laden Sharks

Cape Town — If ever the Bulls need to sort out their scrum before a game, now is the time to do it, as the Sharks are waiting to pounce at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Bulls have battled without the injured tighthead prop Mornay Smith during the last few rounds of the United Rugby Championship, which has seen veteran Jacques van Rooyen step in at No 3.

Van Rooyen was a loosehead for most of his career, but has helped out on the right-hand side of the scrum and become a solid tighthead for the Pretoria side.

But he is not a specialist, and the other No 3 in the squad is Robert Hunt, who is only in his second year of senior professional rugby after coming through the Varsity Cup for UCT.

Bulls director of rugby Jake White and Currie Cup head coach Gert Smal have explained that they have opted to up-skill the current front-rowers in their squad instead of recruiting a big-name tighthead from elsewhere, as there weren’t too many of those available either.

Springbok star Trevor Nyakane’s departure for Racing 92 in France has left a gaping hole in the Bulls squad, and Smith’s injury has come at just the wrong time.

Former Bulls stalwart tighthead Werner Kruger has been brought on board as a scrum consultant, while ex-hooker Edgar Marutlulle is a scrum coach for the Currie Cup side, and they will look to work with the likes of Van Rooyen, Hunt and promising youngster Sebastian Lombard while Smith makes his way back on to the pitch.

But an all-Springbok front row of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Thomas du Toit are getting ready to have a full go at the Bulls scrum at Loftus on Saturday (5.05pm kickoff), so the Bulls need to come up with a plan.

The Sharks dominated the Stormers scrum in Durban recently, and were also on top in