Jacques-Louis Potgieter will start at flyhalf for the Vodacom Bulls against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke was forced to replace in-form flyhalf Handré Pollard after he failed to recover from a knee contusion sustained against the Crusaders.

This will be Potgieter's first game since he suffered a hamstring strain which kept him sidelined for three weeks. 

In the pack, Grant Hattingh comes in for Victor Matfield, who is rested along with Jan Serfontein, while Dean Greyling replaces Morné Mellett at loosehead prop.

Hattingh's spot on the bench is taken by Roelof Smit and Greyling swops places with Mellett. Callie Visagie makes his return to the match-day squad following a back injury.

Piet van Zyl will earn a 50th Super Rugby cap if he takes to the field. The 25-year-old played his first 32 matches in the competition for the Cheetahs.

Bulls – 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Dean Greyling.
Subs: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Morné Mellett, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Jürgen Visser.

Photo: Barry Aldworth/BackpagePix