Bulls duel doppelganger

This weekend's second Super 15 semifinal between the Bulls and the Brumbies will be, above all things, a tactical battle between two of the most structured sides in the competition.

Brumbies coach and former World Cup-winning Springbok mentor Jake White is a great admirer of traditional South African strengths such as sheer physicality, strong defence, good tactical kicking and dominant set pieces.

And he's built his Brumbies side using the best traits of South African rugby.

If you arrived at Loftus from the planet Saturn tomorrow not knowing which side was Australian and which South African, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Both sides know exactly what the other will bring to the match. So how does a winner emerge in a contest where all the key numbers reveal small fractions of a percentage one way or the other?

"These two sides are almost a mirror of each other," says Stormers coach Allister Coetzee, who coached his side to home wins over both of tomorrow's semifinalists during the season.

"For the Bulls, the key is to win the collisions on the gain line. It will be a physical confrontation because that's what South African sides, and particularly the Bulls, excel at.

"Secondly, control of the gain line also depends on domination of the breakdown. In that facet of the game, accurate decisions have to be made by key players. Brumbies' flank George Smith is a vital player in that aspect.

"The Bulls are a momentum-based side and by winning the collisions they will be on the front foot at the breakdown, and that could swing an otherwise finely balanced game their way."

Tactical kicking will also play a major role. Last week, the Brumbies kicked accurately and allowed the Cheetahs to run at them from poor field positions. Ultimately the Australian side earned seven kickable penalties, which was enough to win a tight game.

Against the Bulls, who also use tactical kicking as a key weapon, they won't find an opponent as willing to run from deep. They'll face a counterattack from the boot, which makes the contest even more intriguing.

Both sides are risk-averse, so mistakes in dealing with kicks will have to be cut to a minimum.

According to ruckingoodstats.com, the Bulls have kicked 409 times this season and the Brumbies 410 times.

"Jake knows what the Bulls will bring and his players will be expecting to field high balls inside their own territory," Coetzee said.

"But it still requires the team to deal with the pressure they'll be placed under. The team that executes the fine detail will be the winner.

"Don't expect either side to veer far from what's worked for them.

"Lineouts, scrums, defence and kicking are all vital, and they all understand what the other team is capable of doing.

"It now comes down to doing it under pressure and executing what they've worked on all season as accurately as possible."