Former Northern Suburbs skipper Ben Matwijow will start his first Super Rugby match this weekend when the Reds face the Bulls for Pretoria.

Matwijow was initially signed by the Reds as cover for injured Wallabies lock Kane Douglas, but has impressed from the bench throughout this year.

The 26-year old replaces Rob Simmons in a Reds side that also features uncapped Queensland Under-20s lock Lukhan Tui and scrumhalf James Tuttle.

Reds co-interim head coach Nick Stiles said: “While there are a couple of changes, we’ve managed to maintain a reasonable level of continuity throughout the side so far this season and those combinations are starting to show.

“It’s disappointing not to have the experience of Rob (Simmons) there this weekend, but we thought it was best to give his shoulder another week to heal. Ben (Matwijow) has been making a solid impact off the bench and we know he can do a job for us on Saturday night.

“It also presents a great opportunity for Lukhan (Tui) to potentially make his debut. Even though he was part of the Queensland Under-20s, he has been training with the squad since pre-season and has a heck of a lot of potential. James (Tuttle) is another guy who has been training with us all year and we’re confident he is ready to play at this level. Having the Queensland Under-20s as part of our program is a massive benefit. We’ve worked with the guys, seen them play and know what they’re capable of.

“The Bulls are a physical side and tough to play at home, but it’s a great test for this group to try to get a result against the odds in a pretty hostile environment.”

Queensland Reds side to play Bulls

James Slipper, Andrew Ready, Greg Holmes, Cadeyrn Neville, Ben Matwijow, Hendrik Tui, Liam Gill, Jake Schatz, Nick Frisby, Jake McIntyre, Eto Nabuli, Anthony Fainga’a, Samu Kerevi, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Karmichael Hunt. Reserves: Saia Fainga’a, Sef Fa’agase, Sam Talakai, Lukhan Tui, Curtis Browning, James Tuttle, Sam Greene, Ayumu Goromaru.