Exciting prospect Luan Giliomee named in Bulls' Champions Cup squad

By SABC Sport
12th October 2026

The Bulls have named their 42-man squad for the Champions Cup, with new recruit Luan Giliomee among the players named by head coach Johan Ackermann.

The Pretoria side begin their campaign against Stade Francais at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, looking to improve on a mixed record in Europe's premier club competition.

The squad comprises 24 forwards and 18 backs, with the flyhalf position set to be particularly competitive. World Cup winner Handre Pollard, Curwin Bosch and 20-year-old Giliomee are all included as options at No 10.

Giliomee also provides cover at fullback, where Willie le Roux and Hakeem Kunene are the other specialist choices. Keagan Johannes, Embrose Papier and Paul de Wet make up the scrumhalf contingent, although Papier has yet to feature for the Bulls this season because of an ankle injury.

The pack features 10 front-rowers, including hooker Akker van der Merwe, who missed the start of the United Rugby Championship campaign with a calf injury.

The second-row department remains well stocked following Ruan Nortje's departure, with Ruan Vermaak, Cobus Wiese, Jaco Grobbelaar, JF van Heerden and Reinhardt Ludwig all selected.

In the loose forwards, Marco van Staden and Marcell Coetzee provide options at blindside flank, while Nizaam Carr, Elrigh Louw and captain Hanro Liebenberg are listed at openside. Cameron Hanekom and Jeandre Rudolph complete the back-row selections at No 8.

The Bulls enter the tournament after an emphatic nine-try victory over the Lions, but face a demanding challenge as they seek to progress further than they have managed in recent seasons.

Last season, they were eliminated in the round of 16 after losing 46-33 at home to eventual champions Union Bordeaux-Begles. They failed to reach the knockout stages in 2023/24, while their previous campaigns ended with a 59-22 quarter-final defeat to Northampton Saints in 2022/23 and a 33-9 round-of-16 loss to Toulouse in 2021/22.

The Pretoria outfit will meet Montpellier away in December before hosting Bath and travelling to Northampton Saints in January as they negotiate Pool 4.

The Bulls have faced Stade Francais only once, securing a convincing 48-7 victory in 2025. Ackermann's side will hope for a similarly strong start as they launch their latest European campaign.