Planet Rugby: Bakkies Botha will lead a Bulls team featuring six Super Rugby debutants into battle against the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday.

As expected, Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has opted to rest all of his stars. Botha is the exception as he lacks match fitness, and he'll captain a relatively inexperienced line-up.

Rookies Deon Helberg and Gerrit-Jan van Velze start at wing and flank respectively, with the rest of the visitors' uncapped players sitting on the bench.

In all, there are fourteen changes from the starting line-up that beat the Crusaders 40-35 at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.

With the Bulls already assured of a first place finish on the Super 14 log and a home semi-final next week, Ludeke opted for the luxury of resting his regular starting XV and giving remaining squad members - and some newcomers - a chance to show their worth.

Only Jacques-Louis Potgieter started against the Crusaders (at centre), but now moves to his favourite fly-half position, while regular impact players like Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Pedrie Wannenburg, Derick Kuün, Flip van der Merwe, Bandise Maku and Bees Roux will earn starts.

Tiger Mangweni, De Wet Barry, Chiliboy Ralepelle and Dean Greyling, who all have Super 14 experience but have not played in the competition this year, will get a chance to add caps to their Super Rugby tally.

Ludeke said he picked the best available side for the occasion.

"We had to rest some of our senior players, who have played all the matches this year and up to 960 minutes of rugby," he said.

"It is a good mix of experience and youth and also pays justice to our youth structures."

Stand-in skipper Botha expressed delight at being given the captaincy for the first time and said his team talk will be a simple one.

"Play for the jersey. It stands for a lot of things and respect what it has achieved," said Botha, who last captained the SA Schools side way back in 1998.

Bulls (with Super Rugby caps in brackets): 15 Tiger Mangweni (9), 14 Jaco van der Westhuyzen (51), 13 Stephan Dippenaar (11), 12 De Wet Barry (78), 11 Deon Helberg (0), 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter (29), 9 Heini Adams (35), 8 Pedrie Wannenburg (110), 7 Gerrit-Jan van Velze (0), 6 Derick Kuün (53), 5 Bakkies Botha (85, captain), 4 Flip van der Merwe (16), 3 Bees Roux (28), 2 Bandise Maku (18), 1 Jaco Engels (39).
Replacements: Chiliboy Ralepelle (18), Dean Greyling (2), Fudge Mabeta (1), Okkie Kruger (0), Ruan Snyman (0), Francois Brummer (0), Stefan Watermeyer (0).

Date: Saturday, May 15
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17:05 (15:05 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

13 May, 2010