Crusaders No 8 Kieran Read has lost his race to be fit in time for the Super Rugby playoff against the Bulls.
This means Richie McCaw will continue to operate at the base of the scrum.
Matt Todd will start on the open side flank.
Coach, Todd Blackadder has made three changes to the side that started against the Force, with Wyatt Crockett starting in place of Ben Franks.
Lock Sam Whitelock also swaps with Tom Donnelly, who moves to the bench and Adam Whitelock gets the nod on the wing.
Meanwhile, Bulls captain Pierre Spies said that they are well aware of the size of task they face against the Crusaders but he is still backing his team to progress to the Super Rugby Semifinals.
The Bulls narrowly won their last match against the Crusaders earlier in the competition 32-30.
The match was remembered afterwards over two eye gouging allegations were made against the Crusaders.
The claims have since been refuted and the Bulls were adamant this week they had buried the hatchet.
Crusaders will take on Bulls at 7.35pm this Saturday while Reds and Sharks match is at 9.40pm.
Story by: Dhanjay Deo
