Reds tweak side for Bulls
Lock Rob Simmons is replaced by Ben Matwijow due to a shoulder injury. The match will be Matwijow's first start in Super Rugby.
There are also two changes to the bench, with uncapped Queensland Under-20 lock Lukhan Tui and scrumhalf James Tuttle in line to make their debut. Tui's inclusion follows Matwijow's promotion to the starting side, while 2015 Queensland Country captain Tuttle has replaced injured No.9 Scott Gale (hand).
Both players featured heavily in Queensland's title success in the Super U20s Championship earlier this month and were this week named in the Australian U20 squad for the upcoming Oceania Rugby U20 Championship at Bond University, Gold Coast this May.
Reds co-interim head coach Nick Stiles said: "While there are a couple of changes, we've managed to maintain a reasonable level of continuity throughout the side so far this season and those combinations are starting to show.
"It's disappointing not to have the experience of Rob [Simmons] there this weekend, but we thought it was best to give his shoulder another week to heal. Ben [Matwijow] has been making a solid impact off the bench and we know he can do a job for us on Saturday.
"It also presents a great opportunity for Lukhan [Tui] to potentially make his debut. Even though he was part of Queensland U20, he has been training with the squad since pre-season and has a heck of a lot of potential. James [Tuttle] is another guy who has been training with us all year and we're confident he is ready to play at this level. Having the Queensland U20s as part of our program is a massive benefit. We've worked with the guys, seen them play and know what they're capable of.
"The Bulls are a physical side and tough to play at home, but it's a great test for this group to try to get a result against the odds in a pretty hostile environment."
This week the players will wear headgear in support of the J9 Foundation – which was founded by South African Rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen to aid those suffering from Motor Neuron Disease, the same form of fatal illness he was diagnosed with in 2011.
Reds: 15 Karmichael Hunt, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Anthony Fainga'a, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 Nick Frisby, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Ben Matwijow, 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Andrew Ready, 1 James Slipper (captain).
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Sef Fa'agase, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Lukhan Tui, 20 Curtis Browning, 21 James Tuttle, 22 Sam Greene, 23 Ayumu Goromaru.
Date: Saturday, April 16
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT; 01.00, Sunday, April 17 AEST)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: TBC, AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
