So exactly how good is Oupa "Ace" Manyisa? We all know how good his 40m golazo against Sundowns was.

But one screamer doesn't make a star, and tomorrow's MTN8 final will provide a severe test of the Pirates midfielder's temperament and steel. The vuvuzealous intensity of the Soweto derby has exposed many a competent player in the past.

This week I consulted a 50-something Swallows fan who was privileged enough to watch both Patrick "Ace" Ntsoelengoe and Joel "Ace" Mnini in their late-1970s heydays. He takes pride in being hard to impress these days, but he's already convinced that Manyisa deserves that hallowed nickname. He might be right - but we agreed to diarise a re-evaluation of Manyisa's "Aceness" in September 2012.

Recent diski history is littered with cases of irrational exuberance about promising youngsters, followed quickly by vindictive criticism when inevitable limitations appear. Many Chiefs and Pirates supporters are among the worst purveyors of the hype-you-hate-you combination punch. And yes, us footie journalists are guilty as charged.

Thankfully, some of tomorrow's cast of characters have advanced way beyond the fickle opinions of the fans and media. Take the fearless Andile Jali, who would probably attack a Somali pirate ship with a toothbrush if his coach asked him to. But Julio Leal may be worried about whether the little warrior left too much sweat on the Niamey battlefield last Sunday.

Jali's consolation goal may yet save Bafana's skin, but such bitter defeats always take a mental and physical toll, especially when a referee's stinking decision scuppers the entire mission. Bucs defender Siyabonga Sangweni was also in the trenches against Niger, but then so were Amakhosi kingpins Siphiwe Tshabalala and Itumeleng Khune - so maybe the Bafana babalas will affect both sides equally.

The suspended Benni McCarthy must be frustrated not to get his first crack at Chiefs. If and when he nets a derby winner, Benni will buy himself approximately two months' immunity from the unwanted attentions of the Bucs boo-boys.

It seems the mystique and exhilaration of South Africa's biggest fixture has returned with a vengeance, after a period when it seemed increasingly irrelevant. Both sides are powerful and well-coached again, and both are treating the crowds to some jazzy, fluent football.

So are we seeing a return to the old PSL hierarchy? Will the Soweto giants and Sundowns consolidate their financial and historical dominance over the upstarts Ajax Cape Town and Supersport United?

It looks likely. Ajax have re-invested none of the millions they netted from the sales of Thulani Serero, Sameehg Doutie and Clayton Daniels. There seems little ambition at the club beyond cultivating more youngsters for lucrative sale.

To their credit, Supersport have gone shopping, but Sibusiso Zuma and Nasief Morris are both long in the birth certificate, while importing the injury-prone Elrio van Heerden was a very brave gamble.