Leighton Koopman
The composition of their loose-trio and back-three will be crucial to the Bulls' away success as they head to Wales in the United Rugby Championship (URC) to take on the Dragons.
While the Newport-side lingers in second-last place in the competition, the men from Pretoria are currently in second and only four points behind log-leaders Leinster.
The big clash on this mini-tour for Jake White's troops will be next weekend's, against the Irish powerhouse at the RDS Arena, and they can be forgiven if they are thinking about that one already.
The Dragons have won only two of their matches so far in the tournament, and this could tempt the Bulls to put out a different-looking team on Saturday (kick-off 9.35pm) to the one of next weekend, but after a break of just under three weeks, somehow they have to get going again.
A first win over the Stormers in the URC will still be fresh in their minds, but a tour in Europe demands different things than what they used to topple the former champions at Loftus last month. And coming up against a struggling side can be a somewhat difficult task if you don't plan properly.
White will have plenty of fit players to choose from and will most likely want his starting side against the Dragons to be close to the one who will take on Leinster. Not just to keep the continuity going in the URC, but also looking at the European Champions Cup knock-out stage early in April, where they will face Lyon at home.
So, these two away games can be the perfect build-up ahead of their stretch of home games as they look to seal the top spot in the URC. The Leinster clash could potentially see White's troops go top of the points table with a bonus-point win.
Their forwards will be crucial, especially the scrum and how the loose trio will fare in expected challenging Welsh conditions. But they've been able to count on their pack to provide quality ball possession for the backs to do their thing on the attack. More is expected from the Bulls this Saturday evening.
For the Lions, the task of breaking into the Top 8 of the URC is a bit more tricky. Over the next couple of weekends of travel, they will face sides above them on the log, and should they be able to build on their winning momentum, by the end of March they could head back to Johannesburg with one foot in the play-offs.
Firstly, though, they will have to get past a difficult Connacht in Galway (kick-off Saturday 7.15pm), and this won't be an easy one to pull off. It could set the tone for what could possibly be the Lions' final two matches away in Europe in the URC. But there is also a chance they could have a play-off overseas should they be on the winning side over the next handful of games.
They have the players to do this, and it doesn't matter if they are playing at home or away, but it will all boil down to their discipline and how they adapt in Ireland on game day.
The Lions' discipline has been their downfall. Penalties in crucial situations prevent them from staying on the front foot at times and allow their opponents to pull away from them.
A win over Connacht, though, will provide some good momentum when they head to Wales for the Ospreys in two weeks. They also face Benetton in Italy in the Challenge Cup play-offs during the first weekend of April
Wins could set them up for a return to Ellis Park with some momentum to push for a first year in the knock-outs of the URC and to secure a maiden Champions Cup place for next season.