The Vodacom Blue Bulls will have a golden opportunity to make up for their surprise home loss to the Xerox Lions last Saturday when they entertain the Wildeklawer Griquas on Friday night in the weekend's only Absa Currie Cup fixture as South Africa's home leg of the 2008 Vodacom Tri-Nations gets underway.
The Bulls, who went down 27-30 to the Lions last Friday evening, are currently in fourth place on the Absa Currie Cup standings with 24 points.
They do, however, have a match in hand over all the other sides – except for Griquas, of course – and a victory of any sort on Friday, bonus point or not, will see them move back into first place on the Absa Currie Cup log; a position they last held after Week Seven in the competition.
The Bulls have been boosted in their bid for victory by the return of fit-again stars, Wayne Julies (inside centre) and Heinie Adams (scrumhalf), with the former named to start after a long-term knee injury and the lat! ter being eased back into action off the bench as he recovers from a fairly serious leg injury.
Julies will form a World Cup-winning midfield combination with Wynand Olivier who has shifted to outside centre this week, whilst Adams will hopefully get a second-half opportunity when SA Under-20 star Francois Hougaard has done his bit.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke admitted to being very pleased with the fact that Julies and Adams were available for selection once again, "because they have been two of the Bulls' stalwarts in the past and we were eagerly waiting for them to make a full recovery".
Ludeke added: "Injuries forced us to make a few changes and now it's up to them to seize this opportunity and to make the most of it."
Whilst one World Cup winner is back in the Bulls line-up in the shape of Julies, winger Akona Ndungane has been forced out with a hip injury and Danie Rossouw is back in the Bok mix now that provincial colleague Ba! kkies Botha is out of Tri-Nations action with a knee injury.
Issued by SA Rugby
