Flyhalf Johan Goosen has been included in the Bulls side that will be captained by Nizaam Carr in their match against South Africa A in Cape Town on Saturday.

An invitation from SA Rugby for the Pretoria-based side to step in as opposition for the SA A team is one that could not be passed up by Bulls director of rugby Jake White and his charges in the buildup to the Lions series between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions.

Carr, who will be starting in the No 6 jersey, will captain the side with a number of changes to the team that took on Pumas in their previous outing in a Currie Cup battle.

An exciting and long-awaited addition to the team is the debut of experienced former Springbok pivot Goosen, who will marshal the troops as the starting flyhalf on Saturday.

The Bulls will retain continuity and experience in the form of another ex-Springbok, Cornal Hendricks, who will once again form a midfield partnership with Harold Voster.

Simphiwe Matanzima, Schalk Erasmus and Jacques van Rooyen will be expected to provide some stability as the starting front row, while the lock pairing of Walt Steenkamp and Ruan Nortje continue their auspicious combination in the second row.

Excitement can be expected from the inclusion of youthful talents such as FC du Plessis, WJ Steenkamp and Muller Uys.

White, who is excited ahead of the clash, said: “The opportunity to be called in as opposition for the South Africa A side is one we could not refuse. We will be going out to give it our best shot, with the intention of not only providing good opposition for them, but also building and growing together as the Vodacom Bulls side.”

The game will kick off at 1pm on Saturday afternoon, and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

STARTERS:
15. FC du Plessis
14. Marco Jansen van Vuuren
13. Harold Vorster
12. Cornal Hendricks
11. Stravino Jacobs
10. Johan Goosen
9. Zak Burger
8. WJ Steenkamp
7. Muller Uys
6. Nizaam Carr (c)
5. Ruan Nortje
4. Walt Steenkamp
3. Jacques van Rooyen
2. Schalk Erasmus
1. Simphiwe Matanzima

Subs:
16. Johan Grobbelaar
17. Gerhard Steenekamp
18. Mornay Smith
19. Janko Swanepoel
20. Arno Botha
21. Keagan Johannes
22. Chris Smith
23. David Kriel
24. Jan-Hendrik Wessel