Pollard takes over at No.10

 

The 20-year-old flyhalf has played second-fiddle to Jacques-Louis Potgieter this season, and has earned all of his eight Super Rugby caps off the bench, but now gets his chance in the number 10 jersey.

 

William Small-Smith will also start a Super Rugby game for the first time, as Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has backed the former South Africa Under-20 player to take over the outside centre berth from Springbok Johannes Engelbrecht, who drops to the bench.

 

Ulrich Beyers loses his spot in the matchday 23.

 

The 22-year-old former Grey College student Small-Smith will team up with another Grey old boy, 21-year-old Jan Serfontein, in a midfield partnership that will evoke memories of their schooldays in Bloemfontein.

 

Ludeke has also given tighthead prop Marcel van der Merwe his first start of the season for the match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

 

Callie Visagie returns to hooker, with Mbongeni Mbonambi on the bench and Bandise Maku dropping out of the matchday squad.

 

Ludeke said it was time for rotating players again and expressed his confidence in the two youngsters earning their first start for the Pretoria-based side.

 

"Both Handré and William have slotted in well at this level and are eager to show what they have to offer. 

 

"This is a good opportunity for them.

 

He admitted that his team is under pressure against a high-flying Cheetahs team coming off the back of a 35-22 win over the Stormers and who earlier this year broke their Super Rugby duck against the Bulls.

 

"We are back at Loftus Versfeld where expectations are even higher and to be honest, not in a situation we wanted to be at this stage of the tournament. 

 

"We need to get out of our losing streak and back to winning ways, not only to stay in the competition but to justify the hard work we have put in. 

 

"I am confident that we can turn things around, as it is small things that are costing us at the moment," Ludeke added.

 

Bulls: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 William Small-Smith, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Grant Hattingh, 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Jono Ross, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 Dean Greyling.

Replacements: 16 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 17 Morné Mellett, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Wimpie van der Walt, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 23 Johannes Engelbrecht.