LETHAL ATTACK V WELSH GRIT: VODACOM BULLS RETAIN CORE FOR DRAGONS

BULLS KEEP POWDER DRY FOR WELSH TEST

The Vodacom Bulls are sticking with their gameplan. With Friday night's URC clash against the Dragons looming (8.45pm SAST), the franchise has resisted the urge for wholesale changes, instead retaining the core that dismantled Glasgow while making tactical adjustments that speak to smart squad rotation.

It's continuity that matters here. The front row partnership of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Francois Klopper holds firm, anchoring the scrum with the kind of stability that builds winning platforms. Similarly, the loose trio remains unchanged, providing that crucial bridge between the forwards' grunt work and the backline's ambition.

This isn't about complacency or stagnation. Rather, it's calculated maintenance. The Bulls understand their identity—that lethal attacking brand that's been their calling card—and they're not about to abandon it for a visiting Welsh side looking to upset the Pretoria apple cart.

The Dragons, for all their grit and resolve, will encounter a Bulls outfit that's built momentum and sees no reason to tear down what's working. The continuity in leadership, both in the pack and across the park, matters when you're facing teams determined to grind you into submission.

What the Bulls have done is balance ambition with pragmatism. Rotation happens, yes, but not at the expense of the structures that made them dangerous last time out. Glasgow learned that lesson. The Dragons will get the same Bulls machine, running on familiar fuel and familiar formations.

Friday night at 8.45pm will tell us plenty about how far this franchise can travel this season. But one thing's certain: they're traveling with confidence, with continuity, and with a pack built to do damage.