The Bulls players who can swing it against Northampton Saints

The Bulls were good and bad in equal measure in their 46-33 defeat to reigning champions Bordeaux at the weekend.

There was a feast of entertaining rugby as both sides piled on the tries. The Bulls’ next Champions Cup challenge is away to Northampton Saints on Sunday.

Here, we look at five Bulls players who could influence the result.

Handré Pollard

The 2023 World Cup hero was having a blinder in his duel with French flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert, only for things to unravel in the last half-hour. We saw Pollard back to his best after being mostly unemployed by the Springboks in 2025.

He slickly manufactured tries for Sebastian de Klerk and Akker van der Merwe. But then came an unnecessary yellow card for slapping down a pass. When he returned, there was some wasteful kicking. The Bulls need their flyhalf to deliver 80 minutes of brilliance at Franklin’s Gardens, not 50.

Willie le Roux

The veteran is another World Cup hero who needs to be more consistent. He can still create tries for his teammates, as he did when he put Jeandre Rudolph away, but the 36-year-old tends to drift in and out of games.

His kicking also blows hot and cold. He recently said he still has Springbok ambitions. If he is to get his wish, Rassie Erasmus needs to see him taking more control at the Bulls.

Sebastian de Klerk

Little wonder Rassie Erasmus had the former Puma on his standby list for the November tour. Not bringing him over to Cardiff for the tour finale was a missed opportunity. The flying wing has been consistently excellent for the Bulls in a season of inconsistency.

When they need a breakthrough, De Klerk is their go-to man. Against Bordeaux, he made 100 metres with ball in hand and completed 12 tackles. The message for Sunday is simple: get De Klerk involved as much as possible.

Canan Moodie

A special moment in the weekend’s match was Moodie’s classy wrong-footing of Romain Buros, which saw him glide around the fullback as if he were rooted in cement. It was classic wing play, and the try put the Bulls’ tails up as they headed into halftime.

It also said plenty about Moodie’s class that he got the better of Louis Bielle-Biarrey in the aerial contest. The Frenchman, a finalist for World Rugby Player of the Year, is seldom beaten. Like De Klerk, the more ball Moodie gets, the better.

Juandre Rudolph

The former Puma and Cheetah is often regarded as a journeyman, but that certainly did not look the case on the big stage of a Champions Cup clash against the champions.

Rudolph came on as early as the 14th minute because of Marco van Staden’s injury, and he did a fine job matching — if not surpassing — the Bok flanker’s renowned industry. His relentless carrying was rewarded with a try. He deserves to start against the Saints.