URC: Bulls make 13 changes as Marcell Coetzee cleared to face Scarlets

Coetzee was shown a yellow card for a dangerous cleanout during last weekend's victory over Ulster, with the incident involving shoulder-to-head contact with Ben Donnell. He was subsequently cited for dangerous play.

However, a URC disciplinary panel ruled on Wednesday that the incident did not warrant an upgrade to the sanction. The citing complaint was dismissed, leaving the Springbok loose forward available for selection.

Coetzee will start on the bench against the Scarlets, with Hanro Liebenberg taking over the captaincy for the Bulls' final home URC fixture of 2026.

Coach Johan Ackermann has made eight changes to the starting XV, with Willie le Roux returning at fullback, Dylan Maart moving to the right wing and Stravino Jacobs coming in on the left.

Stedman Gans joins Harold Vorster in midfield, while Curwin Bosch starts at flyhalf alongside scrumhalf Paul de Wet.

The pack has also been reshuffled, with Alu Tshakweni, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Khutha Mchunu forming an entirely new front row. JF van Heerden partners Ruan Vermaak in the second row, while Jeandre Rudolph and Cameron Hanekom join Liebenberg in the loose trio.

The Bulls have included eight Springboks in their 23-man squad as they look to build on their win over Ulster and finish their home fixtures for the year on a positive note.

Bulls - 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Hanro Liebenberg (captain), 6 Jeandre Rudolph, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 1 Alu Tshakweni.

Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Sebastian de Klerk, 23 Hakeem Kunene.

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