Like the good ol' days: Handre Pollard back in blue for Bulls against Ulster

The Bulls have made sweeping changes for Saturday's away United Rugby Championship match against Ulster.

Among the most significant is a start for Pollard, now back in blue after several seasons with Montpellier and Leicester Tigers. In his previous stint in Pretoria, he played over 70 matches for the Bulls, attaining hero status in the capital.

In all, there are 11 changes - seven in the starting 15 and four on the bench - from last week's squad that beat champions Leinster. Several are forced by injuries, chiefly to Marcell Coetzee and JF van Heerden.

The seven changes to the line-up are Wilco Louw (for Mornay Smith), Cobus Wiese (for JF van Heerden), Marco Staden (for Marcell Coetzee), Jeandre Rudolph (for JJ Theron), Zak Burger (for Embrose Papier), Pollard (for Keagan Johannes) and Canan Moodie (for David Kriel).

Similarly, the bench has been shaken up. Jan-Hendrik Wessels (for Alulutho Tshakweni), Reinhardt Ludwig (for Sintu Manjezi), Paul de Wet (for Zak Burger, moved to start) and David Kriel (for Stedman Gans).

In all, there are eight Springboks in the starting line-up.

Bulls - 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Mpilo Gumede, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Nicolaas Janse v Rensburg, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johann Grobbelaar (c), 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.

Replacements: 16 Juann Else, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 David Kriel, 23 Willie le Ro 

READ MORE: Ryan Oosthuizen embracing fatherhood as Blitzboks gear up for revamped SVNS Series