Springbok Bakkies Botha will play his 100th Super Rugby match for the Bulls when they tackle rivals the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Botha, who will join Top 14 Orange side Toulon next season, is one of two changes to the starting line-up after he missed last weekend's victory over the Stormers in Cape Town. The return to the line-up will see Botha partner fellow Springbok Victor Matfield in tyh second-row, which means, in turn, Danie Rossouw will have to be content with a place on the bench. Botha was understandably delighted to return to the starting XV but he will put any sense of nostalgia and emotion to one side when he faces the Sharks. "We are determined to deliver a good performance and to make sure we qualify for the play-offs. I would want nothing more than to contribute towards that," Botha said. "At the Bulls, personal milestones are put on the backburner and the team comes first, so my focus will be on what I can deliver towards the team effort."
Bulls' coach Frans Ludeke, who also opted to bring in Chiliboy Ralapelle for the clash in place of Gary Botha, paid tribute to his imperious lock. "Bakkies has been a true stalwart over many seasons and we are happy to share this achievement with him," said Ludeke. "He will be the first to tell you how important a victory is on the weekend and what an onslaught we can expect from the Sharks. The focus will hence be on execution of our game plan and to try and do what we know we do best." Other changes in the 22 see Fourie du Preez return to the bench, replacing Dustin Jinka, along with Akona Ndungane who replaces Stephan Dippenaar.
Meanwhile, the Bulls have quashed rumours of Francois Houggard leaving the franchise. The Pretoria club released a statement saying the utility-back was contracted till October 2012. "We find it sad that no one even approached us to establish the facts on this matter as we gladly would have shared the fairly common knowledge that Francois is contracted with us till the end of next year," high performance manager Ian Schwartz said.