Following their opening Champions Cup win over Lyon on Saturday, Bulls director of rugby Jake White has again rested several current Springboks in naming his squad to face Exeter away this weekend.
The Bulls travel to the United Kingdom for the clash at Sandy Park that kicks off at 15:00 (SA time) on Saturday.
A few eyebrows were raised last week when the squad for the Lyon clash was named, but White says using the full range of players on the Bulls' books is necessary.
"We travel to Exeter now and then return to face the defending champions, the Stormers, the following weekend, so selection is about making use of the resources at your disposal, but this doesn't mean we are going into the game saying it doesn't count."
"We want to win as many times as we can, and when they come to visit us in January in 40-degree weather, coming out of their winter, it will be a daunting task for them, and maybe that will give us a chance to find a way into the top 16 of the competition," White added.
White is expecting a tough clash against an Exeter side that's a tough nut to crack at home.
"They were champions two years ago, and they have internationals in almost every position playing in a tough venue to win at, but I am expecting us to roll up our sleeves, to embrace the fact that we are going to a place where things will be tough but we must stand as man and give it a fair crack,” White said.
"We leave our home advantage with our loyal fans, travelling into minus 5 degrees with only one training session [in England], but we must stand and make sure that we are ready to give it as best a short as we can.
"No one gave us a chance last week against Lyon, but what this team has done since I have been here is accepting the challenge and often achieve results.
"The average age of our group is 22, these are youngsters, and I want the senior players to help teach the youngsters about the tough days because these are the tough days, with big expectations playing against big teams on the road."
"This will be a fantastic opportunity for the young guys to grow and experience what it's like to be a professional player in a pressured situation. As a club team, travelling to where we are at the back of who we played, generally, it doesn't get tougher than this at club rugby," the Bulls mentor concluded.
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