Bulls bring back their Boks as they make 11 changes ahead of Ulster match

With all their Springboks back in the camp, the Vodacom Bulls have made a whopping 11 changes to their side to face Ulster in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match in Belfast on Saturday night.

The big name among those 11 changes - seven in the starting 15 and four on the bench - is double World Cup winner Handre Pollard, who will play his first game for the Vodacom Bulls since 2019, where he will now add to his 62 caps for the franchise, all in Super Rugby, after returning to the team at the start of the season.

Pollard slots in at 10 alongside Zak Burger and will be keenly watched, especially with the backdrop of new flyhalf sensation Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu playing the last three tests for the Springboks while Pollard watched on.

The other changes are either Bok return-related or injury returns, and the squad as a whole has a lean, mean look about it for the first time this season.

Wilco Louw, who has demolished international scrums at will of late, comes in at tighthead for Mornay Smith, completing a front row of fellow Boks Gerhard Steenekamp and Johan Grobbelaar, which made up the top scrum in the competition last season.

Cobus Wiese returns from injury to replace young JF van Heerden, who was injured against Leinster, while Bok Marco van Staden is in for Marcell Coetzee, who stayed at home after failing an HIA in the Leinster game.

Jeandre Rudolph, who was only signed for the Currie Cup, but impressed so much that his contract was extended, has been selected at No 8. Burger is in for Embrose Papier while Canan Moodie, who impressed for the Boks, is partnering Harold Vorster in the midfield.

Springbok Jan-Hendrik Wessels comes onto the bench for Alulutho Tshakweni, while Reinhardt Ludwig makes a long-awaited return to the side for Sintu Manjezi.

Paul de Wet is on the bench with Papier resting this week, while David Kriel drops to the bench to replace Stedman Gans. In total, there are eight Springboks in the starting line-up.

TEAM: Devon Williams; Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs; Handre Pollard, Zak Burger; Jeandre Rudolph, Celimpilo Gumede, Marco van Staden, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Cobus Wiese, Wilco Louw, Johan Grobbelaar (captain), Gerhard Steenekamp.

REPLACEMENTS: Juann Else, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith, Reinhardt Ludwig, Nama Xaba, Paul de Wet, David Kriel, Willie le Roux.