Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, has made a handful of changes to the team that featured in the opening round last week. Arguably, the most notable of the changes includes Springbok, Ruan Combrinck, earning his first starting berth for the side after making his debut off the bench during the domestic Carling Currie Cup campaign.

Combrinck will start at fullback, alongside another new starter in Stravino Jacobs, who will don the No11 jersey.

The forwards will buckle down with a new-look front row as loosehead prop Lizo Gqoboka, hooker Joe van Zyl and tighthead prop Jacques van Rooyen will be part of the starting XV.

“We have another tough encounter ahead of us. To face two top Irish sides back-to-back is no easy challenge,” said White.

“Connacht is a strong, well-coached side; and they will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Cardiff in the opening round.

“We have also put the defeat to Leinster behind us, and we look forward to testing ourselves, again this week, against another quality outfit in the United Rugby Challenge.”

This game in Galway kicks off at 20:35.

Bulls - 15 Ruan Combrinck, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Jacques van Rooyen, 2 Joe van Zyl, Lizo Gqoboka

Replacements - 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Jacques du Plessis, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Stedman Gans