Bulls super rugby head coach Pote Human has named a team with a number of changes for Saturday’s match against the Sharks in Pretoria.
The Bulls beat the Lions last weekend but Human has has made three positional changes to the team that beat the Lions.
There are also three changes to the bench one of which includes Paul Schoeman who is set for a first appearance for the Bulls.
In the backs there is just one change and Human has rotated Ivan van Zyl and Embrose Papier at scrumhalf, with the more experienced Van Zyl starting and his fellow Springbok playing off the bench this time
In the pack Tim Agaba and Jannes Kirsten will form a new loose trio with Duane Vermeulen.
Agaba and Kirsten played off the bench against the Lions last week and comes in for Hanro Liebenberg and Ruan Steenkamp.
Liebenberg moves to lock in place of Eli Snyman though.
On the bench, Tembelani Bholi and Schoeman, who played for the Cheetahs 24 times in Super Rugby, will fill the empty seats left by Agaba and Kirsten.
Human said the team is keen to reproduce the form they showed in the opening match at Loftus Versfeld, when they outplayed the Stormers.
“We did not play well the next weekend in Argentina, but delivered a much better effort last weekend, so I am confident that we will be up for this one as well. The local derbies certainly brings out the best in our teams, so this will be a physical, hard-fought affair again.”
For Pollard, the upward curve remains a priority. “We had a speed bump, but generally we are growing nicely and that’s what it is about. We have to adapt with one or two new faces coming into the starting team,but we all know what needs to be done on the day,” the captain said.
Johnny Kotze, Burger Odendaal and Lood de Jager were all unavailable due to injury.
Bulls
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Dylan Sage, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Handre Pollard (captain), 9 Ivan van Zyl 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Tim Agaba, 6 Jannes Kirsten, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Hanro Liebenberg, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Lizo Gqoboka
Replacements: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Thembelani Bholi, 20 Paul Schoeman, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Divan Rossouw
