Latest news with #MarcellCoetzee
News24
6 hours ago
- Sport
- News24
Coetzee at No 8, Van Staden at flank as Bulls name team for URC final
Bulls director of rugby Jake White has named his team for Saturday's URC grand final against Leinster in Dublin. White made one injury-enforced change to the team that beat the Sharks 25-13 in the semi-finals in Pretoria last weekend. Stalwart Marcell Coetzee moves from openside flank to No 8 in place of Cameron Hanekom, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Sharks. Springbok Marco van Staden moves up from the bench to take Coetzee's No 6 jersey, with another Springbok, Nizaam Carr, coming in on the bench to provide loose forward cover. READ | 'It's D-day for us': White hoping Bulls have learnt from past URC final failures Elsewhere, the Bulls will field the same match-day squad that fended off the Sharks. Saturday's clash at Croke Park kicks off at 18:00 (SA time). Bulls team: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Marcell Coetzee, 7 Ruan Nortje, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels Substitutes: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Devon Williams
The South African
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The South African
Bulls name team for URC final
The Bulls are set for what should be a clash of the titans against Leinster in the URC final at Croke Park on Saturday, 14 June, at 18:00 SA time. With Bulls star Cameron Hanekom ruled out after picking up an injury in the semi-finals, Marco 'Eskom' van Staden has been brought into the forward pack, with Nizaam 'Nemo' Carr coming onto the bench in an otherwise unchanged 23 in personnel and duty. Van Staden slots in at loose forward alongside skipper Ruan Nortje, which sees Marcell Coetzee shifting to No 8. Ahead of the back row, the tight five remains unchanged, with Jan-hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw in the front row, and Cobus Wiese and JF van Heerden combining at lock. The backline is unchanged from last weekend's victory over the Sharks as the Bulls brace for a thrilling URC final. Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Marcell Coetzee, 7 Ruan Nortje (captain), 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-hendrik Wessels. Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Devon Williams. Date: Saturday, June 14: Venue: Croke Park, Dublin Kick-off: 18:00 (SA time) Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy) Assistant referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Sam Grove-White (Scotland) TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
6 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Bulls stick to winning recipe as they chase URC final glory against Leinster in Dublin
Bulls loose forward Marcell Coetzee will take over the No 8 jersey from the injured Cameron Hanekom for Saturday's URC final against Leinster in Dublin. Image: BackpagePix Springbok Marcell Coetzee will wear the Bulls' No 8 jersey in the absence of Cameron Hanekom in the United Rugby Championship Grand Final against Leinster on Saturday at Croke Park in Dublin (6 pm kick-off). Director of rugby Jake White made one enforced change to his side for their second consecutive final of the tournament, with Bok Marco van Staden taking over as flanker and Coetzee making a positional switch. The rest of the starting team is unchanged from the one that defeated the Sharks in the semis last weekend. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading There is one change on the bench, with veteran Nizaam Carr taking his place amongst the replacements with Van Staden promoted to the starting XV. Embrose Papier and Johan Goosen will again be tasked with leading the Bulls' attacking plays as the form halfback-pairing, while Canan Moodie and Sebastian de Klerk form a potent attacking back-three. A new winner will be crowned on Saturday, and for the first time, the final will take place outside of South Africa. Your star-studded Grand Finalists ready to battle 💥 Get your tickets to witness history at Croke Park on Saturday 👉 #URC — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 12, 2025
IOL News
13 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
High work-rate vital for Bulls to stop up-tempo Leinster in their tracks in URC final, says Marcell Coetzee
WORK-RATE KING Bulls loose forward Marcell Coetzee, seen here charging into the Sharks defence last week, will need to bring his usual energy on attack and defence against Leinster. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix The Bulls opened the scoring in both their previous United Rugby Championship finals and lost. So, perhaps the Pretoria side should let Leinster grab the early lead in Saturday's title decider at Croke Park in Dublin (6pm SA time kick-off) if they want to enjoy a case of third time lucky. But having endured the heartache of two defeats, such experiences would have given them the necessary knowledge to handle a similar situation against Leinster this weekend. Perhaps being written off by everyone outside Pretoria may also spur on Jake White's team. But while emotion – Cornal Hendricks' passing will also inspire the Bulls – has a place in a final, it is also about ensuring that you heed the lessons from the past. So, the visitors cannot afford to let an early lead slip this time, or concede yellow cards, like they did in the semi-final win over the Sharks last week. 'I think if I take that first final (18-13 defeat against the Stormers), think we scored off the bat probably like three, four minutes in the game,' loose forward Marcell Coetzee said from Dublin on Wednesday. 'So, we had a good start in the game and we were going well at first, but it just showed you (that) you can't rely on those moments. 'I thought we just might have missed the kicking game in that second half particularly. And that's how we let the Stormers in that day. They used the opportunities. We had a man down in the bin as well. 'And then the second game (last year's 21-16 loss to Glasgow), again great start, and we built on that. But you can't let the opposition in. That's what I meant by soft moments. 'You can't let them really in, and then let them get the ascendancy and momentum. 'It's going to come down to moments, and how we manage it and how calm and collected in control we are. It's all about managing that. 'That comes with experience, and I think over the course of the seasons, that's really been very beneficial for our team.' Coetzee may be asked to pack down at No 8 in the absence of the injured Cameron Hanekom on Saturday, and it shouldn't be an issue for the 34-year-old to fulfil. His energetic ball-carries and high work-rate on defence will be vital if the Bulls hope to stop the relentless Leinster attack. The Irish giants love to stretch the opposition defence early on, and the South Africans will have to be wide awake to prevent conceding points in the opening quarter. At the same time, they need to impose themselves on proceedings as well and force Leinster to make a lot of tackles too. That's where Coetzee, Cobus Wiese and Jan-Hendrik Wessels need to front up with ball-in-hand to create holes for dangerous backs such as David Kriel and Canan Moodie. 'That's the uniqueness about the Leinster team. When they get it right on the day, they can really light it up. That's part of our job,' Coetzee said. 'We need to nullify it as best as possible by certain things we identified. Look, I think there's a time and a place for everything.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Marcell Coatzee: 'It all builds up to desperation from both sides this weekend'
Marcell Coetzee is not expecting any let-up in the burgeoning rivalry between Irish and South African teams when his Bulls meet Leinster at Croke Park in Saturday's URC Grand Final, two sides he described as desperate for silverware. There will be plenty of baggage arriving with the teams at GAA headquarters in Dublin this weekend with Leinster having failed to lift a trophy in four seasons and the Bulls having lost two of the last three URC deciders. And there is added spice given the Pretoria-based franchise has inflicted two of three consecutive semi-final defeats on Leo Cullen's men since the Boys in Blue won the competition in its former guise as the PRO14 in 2020. Former Ulster and Springbok back-rower Coetzee, 34, senses as much as he prepares for Saturday's final and speaking on Wednesday he said: "I think it all builds up to desperation from both sides this weekend, so you can expect a massive clash with a lot of energy and a lot of intensity. "If you take the two countries that participate in the URC, we had the Stormers against Munster in the (2023) final and we always had to play Leinster in the semi-finals. "Both countries' representatives are phenomenal when it comes to play-offs. And last season, Glasgow, we played them in the final and came up short there. "But look, it's so unpredictable, this format. I mean, last season the teams that ended up first and second didn't end up winning the competition. Vodacom Bulls captain Ruan Norté and Leinster captain Jack Conan stand beside the URC trophy. Picture: Ben Brady/Inpho "So it's very unpredictable at stages, and it just shows you the quality of the URC from all the teams, and particularly the South African teams and the Irish teams. "We had some good battles, building up to this, in the semis and finals, and I think I expect this weekend won't be any different.' Coetzee's team-mate and fellow veteran Willie Le Roux, 35, played down the narrative of the Bulls' failure to win past URC finals with the South Africa full-back preferring to focus on the take in front of his team at Croke Park. "This is my first URC final that I will ever play in,' the double World Cup winner said. 'Last year, I got injured in the semi-final, so, for me, this is new and a first time. "So, yeah, for me and for us this year, it's about focusing on this weekend and doing whatever we can to try and get us over that line, and it's not about thinking about what happened in the past and thinking too much about the past. "I think it's about the moment now and, like I said, going out there with a smile on your face, enjoying it and playing for one and other, even though all the odds are against you and everyone has written us off. "So yeah, for us, it's just about going to show everyone outside what we are about on Saturday and yeah, I'm sure it will be a big one.' Despite being a potential blockbuster of a final on Saturday Le Roux had words of counsel for his less experienced Bulls team-mates. A view of Vodacom Bulls huddle. Picture: Bryan Keane/Inpho 'The bit of advice I can give younger guys as we play together is that it is the same as playing the first game of the season. It's not to put this (final) on a pedestal and make this that much bigger and you go into your shell, you don't want to try stuff and you don't want to run from your own half, and you don't want to try something. 'That is not what got us here. We got here through taking chances. We see an opportunity, we take it. That is what you must do in those big games as well, whether you make a mistake or not, it's about putting yourself out there, putting yourself in battle. You might lose a few battles but you might also win. 'That's just the little things that I tell the guys. Try and ask for the ball, get your hands on the ball and do as much as you can. You might lose a few battles but it's about getting back up and putting yourself into as many as you can. And have no doubts.' It is that outlook, and the fact his side were beaten on home soil at Loftus Versfeld by Glasgow 12 months ago, which gives Le Roux confidence heading into Leinster's home turf this weekend. 'Finals are fine margins whether it is at home or away, these games come down to maybe one moment, one mistake you might make, one piece of brilliance someone else does. They all say it is mission impossible, but we will have to wait and see on Saturday.' Read More Bulls hoping numbers add up as they look to commemorate former teammate in URC final
