CAPE TOWN - The Bulls are still on Cloud Nine after thumping the Sharks last week, but the Stormers are also in buoyant mood after a last-gasp win over the Pumas.
So, who will rule the roost in tonight’s Super Rugby Unlocked showdown at Loftus Versfeld (7pm kickoff)?
We took a closer look at three flashpoints that could decide the outcome
Scrum battle
One of the highlights of the match will be the one-on-one battle between Springboks Trevor Nyakane and Steven Kitshoff at scrum-time. Nyakane was pushing hard for Frans Malherbe’s Springbok No 3 jersey in 2019, but things didn’t go his way - and then he got injured in the opening World Cup game against the All Blacks. Kitshoff was in a similar face-off with Tendai Mtawarira, with the latter getting the nod in the end.
So, it’s sure to be a terrific skirmish between the two Boks, but what about the rest of the front row? The Stormers have a clear advantage, with Malherbe up against Jacques van Rooyen and Bongi Mbonambi taking on youngster Johan Grobbelaar.
But Bulls captain Duane Vermeulen tried to sow some doubt in the referee’s mind already when he questioned the Stormers’ set-piece record: “You say the Stormers have a 100 percent success rate, but they don’t always say how many scrums fell down. There are many resets and things like that, and there are certain things that a ref needs to look at.”
Refereeing at the breakdown
The Bulls have had a mixed time of it at the breakdowns since rugby returned from the Covid-19 break, as they earned some breakdown penalties in some games and were penalised in others.
The relatively inexperienced AJ Jacobs has the whistle at Loftus, and he can expect to have a busy night as both teams go hard at the breakdowns. Marco van Staden has improved with every game for the Bulls, who also have Duane Vermeulen able to steal turnovers.
The Stormers won’t have Siya Kolisi available, but his replacement Jaco Coetzee is more a specialist in playing towards the ball anyway, while Bongi Mbonambi and Salmaan Moerat also don’t mind going into the ‘dark spaces’.
But some referees tend to ignore the ‘daylight’ rule in the tackle, where the tackler needs to release the tackled player before going for the turnover. Also, how strict will Jacobs be on the attacking team cleaning out from the side or going off their feet?
Goal-kicking duel between Morné Steyn and Damian Willemse
If ever Damian Willemse wanted to put his goal-kicking demons to bed, then this is the game to do it. He is up against the old master Morné Steyn, who has proved in recent weeks that he can still mix it with the best in South Africa at the age of 36.
Steyn has fed a Bulls backline filled with strike-runners from Stedman Gans to Kurt-Lee Arendse with aplomb, and his goal-kicking has been as reliable as ever.
It wouldn’t have helped Willemse’s cause that Tim Swiel - his injury replacement at flyhalf - slotted six out of six under huge pressure in the come-from-behind win over the Pumas last week.
After the nightmare outing with the boot in the Springbok Showdown game at Newlands, Willemse recovered well to boot over five out of seven shots at goal against the Lions in the Stormers’ first Super Rugby Unlocked fixture.
But can he handle the pressure of a north-south derby at Loftus Versfeld?
Teams For Loftus Versfeld
Bulls: 15 David Kriel 14 Travis Ismaiel 13 Stedman Gans 12 Cornal Hendricks 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Morné Steyn 9 Ivan van Zyl 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain) 7 Elrigh Louw 6 Marco van Staden 5 Ruan Nortje 4 Jason Jenkins 3 Trevor Nyakane 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Bench: 16 Joe van Zyl 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Marcel van der Merwe 19 Sintu Manjezi 20 Nizaam Carr 21 Embrose Papier 22 Chris Smith 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Jaco Coetzee, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Bench: 16 Scarra Ntubeni 17 Leon Lyons 18 Neethling Fouché 19 Chris van Zyl 20 David Meihuizen 21 Marcel Theunissen 22 Ben-Jason Dixon 23 Godlen Masimla 24 Tim Swiel 25 Angelo Davids 26 Tristan Leyds.
Referee: AJ Jacobs. Kickoff: 7pm.