Northampton Saints will face a Bulls team featuring 13 changes in their Investec Champions Cup quarter-final.

Meanwhile, Saints make three changes as Juarno Augustus, Alex Mitchell and George Hendy all start.

Saints contest their first Champions Cup quarter-final at Franklin's Gardens since they lifted the trophy in 2000.

The Bulls, who are the last South African side left in the competition, have left several Springboks at home, including backs Willie le Roux, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie.

Speaking earlier this week, Bulls head coach Jake White said his players and staff would have to split into groups and use eight different flights to travel to the game.

"No sporting team today as I speak flies out with eight different aeroplanes," said White.

"Some to Birmingham, some to London. Some land at nine. Some land at two. You're talking about a competition where you want to be the best in the world.

"It doesn't add up."

In response to White's criticism, SA Rugby said it had spent around 175,000 on business class flights for Bulls players and staff.

The South African union said factors including high demand and "late confirmation of the required seats" meant it was "impossible" to arrange business class travel on a single flight.

For Saints, captain Lewis Ludlam drops to the bench as Sam Graham moves to flanker and Augustus starts at number eight, while Hendy is rewarded for his two late tries in the win over Munster with a place on the wing.

England's Mitchell returns at scrum-half having made his comeback from a wrist injury as a replacement against Munster, while full-back George Furbank is on the bench after recovering from a calf injury sustained in the Six Nations defeat by France.

Mitchell says confidence is high as the hosts chase a Premiership and European Cup double.

"We've had a great season and the confidence going through the squad is massive which has been showing out on the pitch," Mitchell told BBC Rugby Union Weekly.

"There is a massive buzz around the club at the moment. We are performing well and winning games. It feels like we can fight on both fronts and do a really good job in both tournaments."

Line-ups

Northampton: Ramm; Hendy, Freeman, Dingwall, Sleightholme; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Davison, Moon, Coles, Lawes (capt), Graham, Augustus.

Replacements: Matavesi, Waller, Hill, Mayanavanua, Scott-Young, Ludlam, James, Furbank.

Bulls: Williams; De Klerk, Immelman, Vorster, Jacobs; Smith, Burger; Matanzima, Van der Merwe, Smith, Swanepoel, Van Heerden, Carr, Gumede, Hanekom.

Replacements: Wessels, Smith, Klopper, Olivier, Ludwig, Johannes, Van der Walt, Hendricks.

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (Fra)