Nizaam Carr slots straight back into Bulls starting XV for Ospreys battle

Bulls director of rugby Jake White has named his team for Saturday's URC clash against Welsh side Ospreys in Pretoria.

As announced earlier in the week, lock Ruan Nortje will lead the Bulls in the absence of Marcell Coetzee, who is off to Japan.

Coetzee will play for Kobe Steelers over the next few months before returning to Loftus, where he has a contract until 2027.

Springbok Nizaam Carr, who recently rejoined the Bulls from financially-stricken English club Wasps, will start at No 6 upon his return.

Carr, 31, left the Bulls for Wasps in 2021 but has made his way back to Pretoria after Wasps went into administration.

In the backline, Stravino Jacobs moves to left wing with David Kriel on the right. Wandisile Simelane starts at fullback supported by the inside and outside centre pairing of Lionel Mapoe and Harold Voster.

"We are learning and getting to understand our competitors better the more we play against them and that gives us a lot of confidence as team in how much we believe in doing well in the competition," Nortje said.

"We expect that Ospreys will come prepared and looking to get one over us but we have prepared well and we now have the opportunity to finish off the job."

READ | Like any Jake move, Ruan Nortje's Bulls captaincy was carefully planned: 'I've known 3 months'

The Bulls are third on the URC standings with seven wins from five matches, while Ospreys lie 13thh with a solitary win from seven games.

Saturday's clash at Loftus Versfeld kicks off at 15:00.

Bulls team:

15 Wandisile Simelane, 14 David Kriel, 12 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 WJ Steenkamp, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Ruan Nortje (captain), 4 Jano Swanepoel, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Bismarck