Springboks Pierre Spies, Arno Botha, Handré Pollard, Marcel van der Merwe and Adriaan Strauss will all return to Vodacom Bulls training from next week onwards, it was confirmed in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The Vodacom Bulls squad assembled in Pretoria on Monday to prepare for the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby season, but a couple of senior players will only join the fray later this month.

Bulls Media release

Spies and Botha, who missed almost the whole of 2014 due to a bicep and knee injury respectively, will re-join the squad next Monday, as will fullback Jurgen Visser, who missed most of the ABSA Currie Cup campaign with a foot injury. Marcel van der Merwe, who recovered from a knee injury, will start on Monday as well, team doctor Org Strauss confirmed.

Handré Pollard (foot) and Adriaan Strauss (calf) is due back on 19 January.

Burger Odendaal (foot), Jaco Visagie (knee), Grant Hatting (ankle), Dries Swanepoel (Achilles) and Jason Jenkins (quad) will all join on Monday 12 January.

Springbok lock and 2014 Vodacom Bulls captain Flip van der Merwe is only expected back on 15 April. He recovered from a knee operation, but injured a pectoral muscle in pre-season.

Props Basil Short (pectoral muscle) will be back 2 February and Hencus van Wyk (knee) will be back on 28 February.

Junior Springboks prop Pierre Schoeman is the only other long term injury and will be out for 6 months after sustaining a knee injury. He will undergo an operation on Wednesday.