Cape Town - Blue Bulls coach Pote Human has named his team for Saturday's Currie Cup opener against Western Province at Newlands.
The team is led by centre Burger Odendaal, who was named as captain for the Currie Cup season on Tuesday.
The Bulls 23-man squad features six Springboks, with winger Cornal Hendricks, scrumhalf
Embrose Papier and lock Lood de Jager in the starting XV and flank Roelof Smit, scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl and flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff on the bench.
De Jager is back after recovery from a long-term shoulder injury that saw him miss most of the Super Rugby campaign.
Saturday's north-south derby is scheduled for 17:15.
Teams:
Western Province
TBA
Blue Bulls
15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Tim Agaba, 7 Wian Vosloo, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Ruan Nortje, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima
Substitutes: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Matthys Basson, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Jean Droste, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Marnitz Boshoff, 23 Dylan Sage