Cape Town - The Bulls have confirmed that star flyhalf Handré Pollard has made a successful return to training and is on track to be "fit and ready" by January 2017.
Pollard missed the entire 2016 season due to knee and shoulder injuries, but is in line to return for the Bulls' first Super Rugby warm-up match against a South African Super Rugby opponent in Zimbabwe on Saturday, January 28.
The Bulls will kick off their 2017 Super Rugby campaign against the Stormers on Saturday, February 25 at Newlands in Cape Town.
Provisional warm-up fixtures for 2017:
January 28: South African Super Rugby opponent (Zimbabwe)
February 8: Chiefs (Brisbane)
February 10/11: Brisbane 10's
Extended Bulls training squad:
Utility backs: Duncan Matthews, Divan Rossouw, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel, Earll Dowrie
Fullbacks: Warrick Gelant, Ulrich Beyers
Wings: Luther Obi, Kafentse Mahlo, Irvin Ali, Andell Loubser, Jamba Ulengo, Jade Stighling, Travis Ismaiel, Sibahle “Rabs” Maxwane
Centres: Dries Swanepoel, Johnny Kotze, Jan Serfontein, Franco Naude, Burger Odendaal, JT Jackson, Boeta Hamman
Flyhalves: Francois Brummer, Tony Jantjies, Joshua Stander, Tian Schoeman, Handré Pollard
Scrumhalves: Ivan van Zyl, Andre Warner, Embrose Papier, Rudy Paige, Piet van Zyl
Loose forwards: Renaldo Bothma, Hanro Liebenberg, Freddy Ngoza, Arno Botha, Nic de Jager, Abongile Nonkontwana, Ryno Pieterse, Jannes Kirsten, Ruan Steenkamp, Shaun Adendorff, Roelof Smit, Jacques Potgieter, Eduan Lubbe, Marco van Staden
Lock: Eli Snyman, Hendre Stassen, Lood de Jager, Jason Jenkins, Ruben van Heerden, RG Snyman
Props: Jacobie Adriaanse, Conraad van Vuuren, John-Roy Jenkinson, Martin Dreyer, Trevor Nyakane, Pierre Schoeman, Gerhard Steenekamp, Lizo Gqoboka, Nqoba Mxoli
Hookers: Jaco Visagie, Edgar Marutlulle, Corniel Els, Adriaan Strauss, Alandre van Rooyen
Pollard returns to training. In his final phase of rehab and should be fully fit and ready by January 2017 pic.twitter.com/MrajrSDypk
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) December 7, 2016