Super Rugby champions Queensland will have their depth severely tested against the Bulls in Pretoria this week as goal-kicking playmakers Ben Lucas and Mike Harris both head home early with hamstring injuries.

The pair will join the Reds No.1 playmaker Quade Cooper in being sidelined and are expected to be out of action for up to three weeks after going down in the tourists’ 27-22 loss to the Sharks in Durban at the weekend.

Halfback Will Genia was forced to switch to five-eighth and took over the goalkicking with mixed results in that match as the Reds gave up a 17-0 lead and coach Ewen McKenzie now faces some tough selection decisions for the Bulls match.

He was been forced to go outside his regular training squad for replacements – calling up backs Joel Rapana and Nathan Eyres-Brown to join the team in South Africa.

Rapana, 25, is a former Gold Coast Titans NRL player who made his Super Rugby debut for the Western Force in 2010.

Eyres-Brown, 22, is an Australian Sevens and Queensland Country representative and a member of the Reds 2012 wider training squad.

“Losing your two healthy goal kickers and playmakers at the No.10 position is far from an ideal scenario but we’ll reassess in coming days and come up with a plan best suited for our final game on tour against the Bulls,” said McKenzie.

“We are extremely disappointed to have lost to the Sharks but it was arguably our best attacking performance of the season and there are a number of positives we’ll take from the match.

“We are heading in the right direction with how we want to play the game.”

The Reds enter their round five contest against the Bulls as leaders of the Australia Conference, with their 27-22 loss to the Sharks their first defeat of the season following earlier successes over the Waratahs, Force and Rebels.

The Reds were triumphant in their last encounter against the Bulls, a 39-30 victory at Suncorp Stadium, although haven’t overcome the South African heavyweights in Pretoria since 2001.