Elrigh Louw and Johan Grobbelaar have been released by the Springbok management to play for the Bulls against the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, with both men named on the bench after managing only a single training session with the squad following their return from Buenos Aires.
Grobbelaar scored the winning try in last weekend's low-scoring Test victory over Argentina, and both players return to Pretoria as part of a Bok initiative to give fringe squad members additional game time ahead of the three-Test Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series starting next week. Their inclusion costs Mpilo Gumede and Juandre Schoeman places in the matchday 23.
Coach Johan Ackermann has been candid about the Bulls' limitations going into the match. The squad has had three weeks of pre-season preparation, was hit by flu last week, and Ackermann openly acknowledges the side will be below full competitive sharpness.
"We definitely won't be match fit and sharp but we will be as well prepared as we can for this time of the season," he said, adding that the club faces the added pressure of knowing their URC performances remain the primary measure of their season.