Bulls stack Springboks for must-win clash against Bristol Bears

BULLS head coach Johan Ackermann said all or nothing for the Champions Cup and stayed true to his word by selecting a strong squad for their encounter with the Bristol Bears at Loftus Versfeld today.

- LEIGHTON KOOPMAN

Ackermann selected no more than 10 Springboks in his starting XV, with another two on the bench as they look to keep their European hopes alive in this door-die clash in Pretoria (3pm kickoff).

A victory, especially with a bonus point, will keep them in the running to make the Champions Cup playoffs, but a third loss in the competition will end any ambitions of making it through.

That is why Ackermann went with his strongest side as the team looks to change its fortunes following a string of poor results and close encounters. The Loftus side is on a six-match losing streak and but will look to turn their fortunes around after a good display against the Stormers last weekend.

The Bulls made two changes to the starting XV that lost in Cape Town, bringing in Harold Vorster to replace the injured Canan Moodie, while David Kriel made a positional switch to outside centre to accommodate Vorster.