An on-the-up Bulls outfit tackles the wobbling Stormers at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in the blockbuster second leg of this URC season’s north-south derby.
Match context
After losing as many as seven games on the spin, the Bulls have regrouped superbly to head into this weekend’s tie having beaten the Sharks, Lions, Edinburgh and Pau in each of their previous four fixtures in all competitions.
With many fans going as far as to call for Johan Ackermann’s head just a few short months back, the experienced 55-year-old has since managed to shore up his side’s defensive woes and put them well on course to challenge for a place in the post-season, with the Bulls currently ranked eighth on the overall URC standings.
Their latest result, a seismic 41-12 thrashing of the Durbanites at the end of last month, means they will be brimming with confidence ahead of the challenge of the team that contributed to their aforementioned losing run.
On that occasion, in January, the Stormers produced a solid showing to edge a typically bruising affair 13-8 in Cape Town thanks to a 78th-minute Ntuthuko Mchunu try, but the context of their campaign looks much different now.
John Dobson’s charges have endured a much-publicised drop off in form since the tail end of January, losing three games on the bounce including both legs of the coastal derby.
Having once led the way on the overall standings, they have since fallen to fifth, now nine-points off leaders Glasgow Warriors, while they head into this matchup in Gauteng bottom of the bunch in the SA Shield, with defeat on Saturday set to condemn them to a last place finish.
They will however draw inspiration from the knowledge that they’ve won three of the four north-south derbies played in Pretoria in the URC era, last year coming away with a 19-16 victory over the eventual finalists. With just six points separating the franchises overall, the result could be telling in the season’s final analysis.
Whatever happens, spare a thought for one Dr Johan Erasmus, who will doubtless be watching this one from behind his fingers given the amount of Springboks from both sides set to brutalise each other this weekend.
Players to watch
Embrose Papier (Bulls)
Consistently ranked first amongst players most unlucky to be omitted from the current national fold by some journos, Papier shook off several uncharacteristic performances to play a starring role in the Bulls’ big win over the Sharks two weeks ago, scoring two tries in the process.
Whatever ascendency his forwards get this weekend must be capitalised on by the livewire scrumhalf, whose sharpness and decision-making at the base will be pivotal for the three-time runners-up.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers)
Only one place to go to for the Stormers here, and while Sacha could well be on this list practically every week, the golden boy’s dip in form, which has coincided directly with his team’s fortunes, means he will be under particular scrutiny this week.
The 24-year-old has found himself in many headlines over the past few weeks, albeit this time for less than favourable reasons, and his personal performance must be on point to prevent his side from falling even further out of the race for a home semi-final berth. Dubbed “the David Beckham of rugby” by his coach earlier this week, Sacha’s game management at altitude could make or break the Stormers’ challenge.
Tactical overview
The fact that neither side has played for two week could be telling, and there’s a high probability we could be seeing more than a handful of unforced errors come matchday, with the most accurate scrummaging and lineout performance set to go a long way to determining who comes out on top.
Likewise, the game management of Bok flyhalves Pollard and Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be key and should be an absorbing “game within a game”. The Bulls man is built for occasions such as this, and it will be up to the youngster to prove he can overcome his recent (albeit minor) troubles and steer his side home.
As for the battle up front, we’ll likely to see another classic showcase of pure South African ferocity, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more than a few players leaving the field looking rather worse for wear by the time the final whistle sounds.
It’s set to be another close contest decided by small margins and one or two critical decisions or errors from individuals.
Prediction
The Stormers to stop the rot by hitting back hard and backing up their win over the Bulls from earlier this season with another at Loftus on Saturday. Get on the men from the west coast to take home the spoils within the handicap.
