THE Bulls go into Saturday's crunch clash with the Highlanders happily placed at the top of the standings, but wary of their history in Dunedin.

The south island city has not been a happy venue for South Africans in general, with the Springboks winning only one of eight tests there.

The Bulls' record there is not overly impressive either.

In seven matches they've lost six and won only once, in 2007, on their way to a maiden Super Rugby crown.

Coach Frans Ludeke has been able to recall centre Wynand Olivier, who has recovered from a rib injury, with Francois Venter dropping out. Fellow Boks Dewald Potgieter and Dean Greyling return on the flank and at prop respectively.

The Highlanders have enjoyed a good season but are coming off two consecutive losses, which have seen them drop to seventh on the overall standings.

It will come as a relief for the Bulls that the match won't be played at the now defunct Carisbrook but rather at the indoor Forsyth Barr stadium.

The state-of-the-art complex, built for last year's Rugby World Cup, makes life more comfortable for the spectators and players, who don't have to deal with icy Antarctic winds, rain and sleet.

But it might have taken away a small advantage from the home team who could always rely on the weather to upset their opponents. South African sides, in particular, dislike the sub-zero temperatures and difficult conditions, but these negatives have now been eliminated.

The Bulls are into week three of their tour, which has so far yielded wins over the Rebels and the Waratahs.

So they have the added pressure of being the team everyone wants to beat.

"We worked hard to be on top of the log, but the reality is that teams will be coming harder at us than before," Ludeke said.

"We have picked up momentum from the Australian leg of our tour and can welcome back three experienced campaigners, so if we focus on our own game and play to our strengths, we will be competitive."