Elgar Watts will make his first start for the EP Kings in Friday's Currie Cup match against the Blue Bulls in Pretoria.

Watts, formerly of the Free State Cheetahs, was used off the bench in the Kings' last two matches. He replaces Karlo Aspeling, who drops to the bench.

In other changes to the run-on XV, flank Thembelani Bholi and prop Lizo Gqoboka are back from injury, replacing Paul Schoeman and Schalk Ferreira respectively.

EP Kings – 15 Scott van Breda, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 JP du Plessis, 12 Tim Whitehead (c), 11 Luther Obi, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Enrico Acker, 8 Jacques Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Thembelani Bholi, 5 Cornell Hess, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Martin Ferreira, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Subs: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Paul Schoeman, 20 Tim Agaba, 21 Dwayne Kelly, 22 Karlo Aspeling.

Photo: Richard Huggard/Getty Images