Bulls v Cheetahs - Super Rugby match preview
The Bulls welcome back Akona Ndungane and Flip van der Merwe to their line-up for Saturday's derby with the Cheetahs.
Last Updated: 13/04/13 7:22pm
Ndungane has been passed fit after being sidelined with an eye injury, while van der Merwe has recovered from a chest injury.
The duo come into the side for Zane Kirchner and Paul Willemse respectively, with Jurgen Visser switching to full-back to accommodate Ndungane on the wing.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has made a further change, with Frik Kirsten starting at tighthead and Werner Kruger dropping to the bench, where he will join a trio of new faces in Rudy Paige, Ulrich Beyers and Callie Visagie.
The Cheetahs have made two changes to their squad for the trip to Loftus Versfeld.
The starting XV itself remains unchanged, however Frans Viljoen and Tewis de Bruyn have been added to the bench.
Viljoen has returned from injury to cover the back row, while de Bruyn replaces the injured scrum-half Sarel Pretorius.
Bulls: 15 Jürgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Lionel Mapoe, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Frik Kirsten, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Morné Mellet.
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Paul Willemse, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Louis Fouchè, 23 Ulrich Beyers.
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 Johan Sadie, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Burton Francis, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lodewyk De Jager, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Rynhard Landman, 19 Frans Viljoen, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Ryno Benjamin.
What they said...
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke
"We are happy with the squad rotation and with a couple of stalwarts still out injured, has given some of our youngsters good opportunities to play,.
"We feel that we left some points on the road, but now have a good stretch back home where we play ourselves back into those important play-off positions.
"The rest did wonders to all and I am pleased with the way we prepared for this one."