The first game of the weekend, an early start indeed this Friday afternoon, sees the Bulls given the ideal opportunity to get their campaign back on track. Should they underestimate the Pumas though, they will go down for the fourth time this season, and another loss will root them to the bottom of the log with quite a deficit to make up.
The Pumas are battling this season, and even though they have pushed a few bigger teams to close losses, they could not beat the Leopards last weekend, and have still not won a game in 2011.
The Bulls are in the second week of having their Boks back, which did not help them against the Lions last weekend, but is sure to have an impact against a ‘smaller’ union. The all Springbok front row will be hoping to make a big impact in this game, showing they have what it takes to play in the green and Gold.
This match kicks off at 17h00.
Pumas: 15 Carl Bezuidenhout, 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Tian Meyer, 11 MJ Mentz, 10 Ricardo Croy, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Christo le Roux, 7 Jaco Bouwer, 6 Corne Steenkamp (captain), 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Eduan van der Walt, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Marthinus van der Westhuizen, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Replacements: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 De-Jay Terblanche, 18 Rudi Mathee, 19 RW Kember, 20 Hendrik van der Nest, 21 Tiaan Marx, 22 Johan Jackson.
Blue Bulls: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Zane Kirchner, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Gary Botha, 17 Rossouw de Klerk, 18 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Dustin Jinka, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 Francois Venter.
Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)
This will be funny – what if the Bulls get relegated to the first division and the EP Kings go about to the premier division and then get the Bulls’ Super Rugby rights…
@The Sharks Sharkie (Comment 1) : that would make my year
Puuuuuuuummmmmaaaaaaaaas!!!
@The Sharks Sharkie (Comment 1) : Its still very early – you know them Bulle…BUT I agree it will be!
@Poisy (Comment 2) : Yeah mine too!
@Ice (Comment 4) : There are no Boks coming back, it WILL happen!
@sharks sharkie (comment 1)
methinks many a conspiracy theorist thinks SARU were planning just that when they saw the Bulls lose 4 in a row and had that meeting and made a decision without much input from the unions!!! 
Pumas and Leopards will go down. I have’nt heard about relegation/promotion games – has anyone?
Johan Jackson on the bench. Hope he gets some decent game time..
go Pumas
how many Bulls picks on LMS 
Go Pumas!!!!
Off to Newlands.
Half of CT is overcast half is clear. I’m not sure which half newlands is in.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 11) : enjoy boet
Jano in blue… Eish
The pitch looks good… Shoe!
Pumas keeping ball in hand… Bulls giving away 2nd penalty but too far kick at goal…
Ngani knocks the ball over dead ball line… 5meter scrum for Pumas
After 10 min still no score
Marius Boshoff PK, 50meters out, to the right, missed
Pumas 0 – 0 Bulls
11min
Zane knocks the ball 7meters from the line… Try opportunity lost..
Basson straight thru…
Conversion over
Pumas 0 – 7 Bulls
17min
Bulls looking dangerous on attack…
Bulls scrum Pumas flenters…
Jano already making a difference…
The first 10min was fairly equal, but the bulls dominating the last 10…
Penalty for tackler not releasing.. Boshoff going for goal…
PK over
Pumas 0 – 10 Bulls
24min
Pumas not getting thru the Bulls defense…
Bezuidenhout going for PK… Sort
No change in score
Pumas 0 – 10 Bulls
30min
After that knock earlier Zane having a goodish game on out side center…
Great brake by Pumas hooker end up in a knock on….
And now the bulls do the same.. Brakes well and kick the ball out in goal…
HALF TIME
Pumas 0 – 10 Bulls
2nd half underway
Meyer off, Marx on… Injurie
VD Walt off Mathee on… Sub
That’s all Puma changes…
Penalty to Pumas, Bulls not rolling away…
PK over
Pumas 3 – 10 Bulls
44min
Forward pass gets called after a Jano try…
Luckily for Jano cause he put the ball done on the touch line and try would not have been scored…
Buys off Terblance on… Puma sub
BIG kick from Ricardo
Pumas 6 – 10 Bulls
51min
7243 in attendance
PK Ricardo
Pumas 9 – 10 Bulls
55min
Bad play from Pumas let them loose a lot off momentum they where building up…
Bouwer off van Jaarveld on…
PK Bulls
Pumas 9 – 13 Bulls
60min
come on pumas
PK Pumas
Pumas 12 – 13 Bulls
64min
11 penalty against Bulls now
Big crash in the midfield… Stegman and Zane and Ricardo and all 3 is down…
bulls leading with just one point
come on pumas! just 15 more min..
Stegman of, Botha on..
Its not Ricardo but Venter from the Pumas… Being carried of… Zane is looking ok…
Boshoff subbed by Fouche
Gary Botha on now
pumas fh just attempted the drop goal from very far. very close but not in nonetheless.
Ricardo misses by about half a meter with an excellent drop goal attempt
7min to go with only one point in it…
Go Pumas!!
Pumas lucky to get away for high tacle…
And now gets penalized after all
Bulls go for line out and Gary gets bundled out the side line..
2 min to go… Bulls on attack
New commer Fouche put over an drop gaol
FULL TIME
Pumas 12 – 16 Bulls
Got a margin point but not a win though
Win and Margin point for me… But would have loved to get nothing from this game…
Off to the real game now GO SHARKS!!!!
Dean Greyling MOTM
this ref is pissing me off!