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The improving Bulls travel south to Cape Town to face the resurgent Stormers, in a battle for the top of the South African conference. Join The Roar from 3:10am (AEST) for live scores and updates.
I’ll be in the stands at DHL Newlands, armed only with a smartphone and my wits, surrounded by beer-swilling locals, who will no doubt assist with helpful facts and figures.
It doesn’t get much bigger or more brutal than a Saturday night at grand old, creaky and leaky Newlands when the big bad Bulls come to town.
Four of the best forwards in world rugby will be on the paddock: Adriaan Strauss, Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, and Eben Etzebeth. That alone is worth the price of admission.
Springbok hopefuls will be everywhere: Juan de Jongh in the difficult 13 channel, Lappies Labuschagne returns to try to chase Warren Whiteley down in the Super Rugby tackling sweepstakes, Arno Botha continues his outside chase for a World Cup berth, Pierre Spies is still pursuing past glory, Frans Malherbe is trying to convince Heyneke Meyer that Jannie du Plessis is not essential, and Nizaam Carr and Siya Kolisi are battling for the last Bok loose-forward berth.
Several young talents will be on display, too: flame-haired Steven Kitshoff, who has dominated all tightheads he has faced thus far, super pivot Handre Pollard, who seemingly can do no wrong, the line-breaking, offloading, defender-beating hometown hero Damian de Allende, and Mr Excitement, Jessie Kriel, who will back himself to have a go at the diminutive Stormer back three.
And in an odd twist of fate, by virtue of influential scrumhalf Rudy Paige pushing Francois Hougaard to the wing, the tattooed utility back has probably secured his World Cup ticket. Hougaard is one of the form wings in Super Rugby; a threat every time he sees the pill.
The Bulls have yet to tour Australasia, and cannot afford to give their arch-rivals (who returned from their tour with 10 points and have the easiest run-in of all the top sides) an edge going into the last seven games.
The Bulls lead the conference, but the Cape side arguably has the edge. The Stormers won impressively against 2014 Super champs, the Waratahs, in Sydney, and beat the Bulls in Pretoria. The Bulls started sluggishly, but have hit a patch of form, behind the best flyhalf in 2015’s tournament (Beauden Barrett might debate that).
The Stormers have their talismanic skipper, Duane Vermeulen, rested and ready. Even though coach Allister Coetzee has suffered his only real injury losses to loose forwards (hardman Michael Rhodes and even harder man Rynhardt Elstadt). He is spoiled for choice and has a conundrum on who to bench. Vermeulen is a given, but Burger, Carr, and Kolisi all play similar games and are all in form.
The breakdown will be a bloody mess, with bodies hurtling from many ‘gates’. Look for the tentative nature of Pierre Spies to be a disadvantage for the visitors, but Strauss could very well save the day for the Bulls. He plays to and over the ball as well as any opensider on the field.
Scrum time will be intriguing. The Stormers have two serious tighthead props, a dominant loosehead, and proper power from their second row and No 8.
The Bulls had a weak scrum to begin the competition, but have shored it up. Trevor Nyakane will give Malherbe and Koch a real test.
However, I see this as an edge for the Capetonians. Referee Jaco Peyper will set the tone early for how much of an advantage the second Stormer shove should give the home side.
The lineouts favour the Bulls, mostly because Strauss is a far better thrower than either of the woeful Cape hookers. Etzebeth will need to rescue wobblers and wounded ducks; Flip van der Merwe will be able to catch spiralled darts that hit the bulls-eye.
Kriel and Pollard are game-breakers, but overall, having to rely on Piet van Zyl’s slower, less accurate service from the ruck will probably mean that the Bulls’ ball-carriers will be too easily targeted by the maniacal Stormer gang-tacklers, revved up by the rabid home crowd.
Traditionally, the North-South derby (whether we restrict it to Super Rugby vintage, or use the hundred-plus Western Province-Blue Bulls derbies in the Currie Cup) come down to goalkicking. Pollard is a marksman with a clean strike, but Demetri Catrakilis and his understudy Kurt Coleman are even more accurate – Catrakilis is the most accurate kicker off the tee in world rugby this year.
Prediction
Stormers by a drop goal or penalty; Thor and Etzebeth take the biscuits, and bodies battered all over the field.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.