PRETORIA – Following their two opening losses in Super Rugby, Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has made sweeping changes to his side that will face the Lions at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
Jacques-Louis Potgieter will make his return to the side in the place of flyhalf Louis Fouch, who moves out of the match-day 23
altogether.
Bulls veteran Victor Matfield will receive his first starting berth since he came out of retirement at the beginning of this year.
Matfield slots in at lock in the place of Grant Hattingh, who shifts to eighthman at the expense of Jacques Engelbrecht.
“Jacques-Louis has 42 Super Rugby caps under his belt and needs to show that for us, while we expect Victor to bring composure and calm to our set piece,” Ludeke said.
In the only other change to the starting XV prop Werner Kruger moves to the bench to make way for Frik Kirsten.
Bulls team: Jurgen Visser, Akona Ndungane , JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Francois Hougaard, Grant Hattingh, Jacques du Plessis, Jono Ross, Victor Matfield, Flip van der Merwe, Frik Kirsten, Callie Visagie, Dean Greyling.
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Werner Kruger, Marcel van der Merwe, Paul Willemse, Jacques Engelbrecht, Piet van Zyl, Handré Pollard, Ulrich Beyers. – Sapa