Bulls shuffle pack

Victor Matfield will start on the bench in one of three changes to the Vodacom Bulls team to face the Force in Pretoria.

The 37-year-old has started every match for the Bulls this season, but will make way for Grant Hattingh in the second row. The other two changes to the starting XV come in the front row, where Marcel van der Merwe and Dean Greyling will make their first starts of 2015.

There are two further changes to the bench, where Arno Botha makes a return, while Jaco Visagie is in line to make his Super Rugby debut in place of the injured Callie Visagie.

After a slow start to the season, the Bulls have turned things around with successive wins before enjoying a bye last weekend.

'We are good to go after a week's rest and determined to maintain the momentum the last two wins have created,' said coach Frans Ludeke. 'We have made some changes to the pack, but it's part of the rotational policy. All three players deserve a start. We are also happy to see Arno back in full force.'

Bulls – 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Handrè Pollard, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Dean Greyling.
Subs: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morné Mellett, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Victor Matfield, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Jürgen Visser.

Super Rugby teams (Round 6)

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