Burger Odendaal has returned to training after recovering from a knee injury that saw him miss the start of the Vodacom Super Rugby season.

Odendaal has been on the sidelines since breaking his arm prior to the Bulls' Currie Cup semi-final last year, before picking up a knee injury during pre-season.

However, a number of Bulls players sat out Monday's training session, with Jan Serfontein (stiff hip flexor), Marcel van der Merwe (contusion)and Dean Greyling (neck), Roelof Smit (ankle) and Lappies Labuschagne (nasal fracture) all recovering from knocks.

Among the longer-term injuries, Jacques-Louis Potgieter (one week, hamstring), Flip van der Merwe (pectoral, 6 April) and Akona Ndungane (hand, three weeks) are a week closer to returning to the fold.

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images