The need to accommodate a reliable a goalkicker in his side has forced Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer to include Boeta Wessels at fullback in the side for the Super 12 match against the Cats at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
Wessels (pictured) is more familiar in the flyhalf or centre roles, but he was the most impressive of the goalkicking contenders in the pre-season games and got the nod on Wednesday.
His inclusion means a positional switch to left wing for Hannes Venter, which means the exciting Gavin Passens will start from the substitutes bench. Also on the bench is another Springbok wing, McNeil Hendricks.
Passons has struggled with a hamstring injury recently, but he is fully fit again. The explanation from the Bulls brains trust for the inclusion of both Passens and Hendricks on the bench was that Wessels, Venter and outside centre Frikkie Welsh are versatile players who could easily be moved around in case of injuries.
Chris le Roux will lead the team from his favoured No 8 position with Anton Leonard at flank. The Bulls experimented with the hard-running Leonard at No 8 during the warm-up games, but he will form the flank combination with Piet Joubert.
The latter has been preferred to Danie Rossouw, who was included in the Springboks team for 2001 end-of year tour, but had to withdraw with a shoulder injury before departure. Rossouw is on the bench.
Bulls: Boeta Wessels, Wylie Human, Frikkie Welsh, Adrian Jacobs, Hannes Venter, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Coenraad Groenewald, Chris Roux (capt), Anton Leonard, Piet Joubert, Victor Matfield, Marco Wentzel, Piet Boer, James Dalton, Wessel Roux. Substitutes: Danie Coetzee, Richard Bands, Matt Frank, Danie Rossouw, Hakkies Husselman, Gavin Passens, McNeil Hendricks.