Flip van der Merwe and Arno Botha have returned to full training for the Vodacom Bulls.

The lock and loose forward have recovered from pectoral and hamstring injuries respectively and will be considered for Saturday's match against the Reds at Loftus.

They will join Jan Serfontein and Handré Pollard, who missed last weekend's clash against the Lions, but Victor Matfield will only know on Tuesday when he will play again. The lock, who has a meniscal knee strain, will see a knee specialist on Tuesday to determine how long he will be out of action.

Meanwhile, Jesse Kriel (ribs), Burger Odendaal (arm), JJ Engelbrecht (pectoral), Trevor Nyakane (shoulder) and Jacques du Plessis (muscle spasm) all picked up light niggles on the weekend and will sit out training on Monday. All of them will be back in action on Tuesday, as well as Basil Short, who has recovered from concussion.

Akona Ndungane (broken hand, 13 April), Lappies Labuschagne (shoulder, 13 April), William Small-Smith (foot, 20 April) and Travis Ismaiel (ribs, 20 April) will return to action before the end of the month.

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images