Pollard blow for Bulls

The Bulls were dealt a cruel blow ahead of their Super Rugby Round Eight encounter with the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Springbok flyhalf Handré Pollard has failed to recover from a knock to the knee, a contusion, that he suffered in the win over the Crusaders last week.

Veteran Jacques-Louis Potgieter will start at No.10 and is the only change to the backline that ran on against the Crusaders last week.

Potgieter is returning to action, following a hamstring strain that kept him out for three weeks.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke also made two changes to his starting pack.

Grant Hattingh (for Victor Matfield) and Dean Greyling (for Morné Mellett) will start in the pack.

Both played off the bench last weekend.

Matfield is being rested in accordance with a request from the Springbok coach as is centre Jan Serfontein - who was a late injury withdrawal from last week's game, with a stiff hip flexor.

Hattingh's spot on the bench will be taken by Roelof Smit and Greyling swaps places with Mellett, who will play of the bench.

Callie Visagie makes his return to the squad following a back injury.

Bulls scrumhalf 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 (captain), 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Dean Greyling.

Replacements: 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 Jurgen Visser.

Date: Saturday, April 4

Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)

Referee: Stuart Berry

Assistant referees: Jason Jaftha, Stephan Geldenhuys

TMO: Shaun Veldsman