Ackermann names competitive team for All Blacks battle

Bulls coach, Johan Ackermann, has named four Springboks in his starting line-up for Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour clash against the All Blacks in Pretoria.

The team features new arrivals, Thaakir Abrahams, Curwin Bosch and Hanro Liebenberg.

Springbok flanker, Marcell Coetzee, will captain the Bulls, with Liebenberg and Jeandre Rudolph completing the loose trio.

JF van Heerden and Ruan Vermaak start as the lock pairing with tighthead, Francois Klopper, hooker Juann Else, and loosehead, Alu Tshakweni, in the front-row.

Embrose Papier starts at scrum-half and is joined by Bosch, following his return to South Africa after a two-year stint at French club, Brive.

“We’re going to go as strong as we can,” Ackermann told the media on Thursday.

He acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding the match, with the Bulls having limited opportunities to experiment during pre-season.

“It has put a bit of pressure on us, and the challenge is your preseason is the only time you’ve got to play around with stuff. You normally play a warm-up match or two, and you trial stuff and you see if it works and you try to see which players are in form,” he said.

“Now, we are just picking on the squad that we’ve got left, with the odd guys who are unlucky not to be selected. It is a bit unfair, but that’s the hand we’ve got.”

YOUR TEAM TO FACE THE MIGHTY ALL BLACKS 😮‍💨

🗓️15 August | 19:00
🎟️ https://t.co/HI8UWLOt5f

SEE YOU AT LOFTUS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/P2nzOllaXo

— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) August 13, 2026

Written by: Ntsako Mukhari