Three eye-catching matchups at Loftus

The Bulls host the Sharks in arguably the most important match on South African soil thus far in this season's United Rugby Championship at Loftus on Saturday.

The Bulls will seek to close the gap if not pass log leaders Glasgow Warriors by the final whistle, while the Sharks will be desperate to vacate the bottom three.

Here are three matchups that will attract the most attention at Loftus.

Wilco Louw/Ox Nché

Though Nché has been selected on the Sharks' bench his path will likely cross that of fellow Springbok Louw. Nché has been emerged as one of the most fearsome loose head props in the game but Louw has built his reputation around being an immovable object.

While Nché's reputation has soared in Bok colours, Louw has played just one Test in the last four years. He is a prop of indubitable quality but those ahead of him in the Bok tight head queue are hard to dislodge.

The Sharks, well aware of the heat they will encounter in Pretoria have made sure they cover their bases on the bench for the final quarter. Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Grant Williams will also start on the bench, but it is Nché they hope will repeat the final quarter impact he made in the semifinal of the RWC.

Canan Moodie/Aphiwe Dyantyi

Much has happened since Aphiwe Dyantyi played the last of his 13 Tests in 2018. His prolonged absence for doping has set back a career that showed incredible promise. He is yet to recapture the magic that made him a Bok in Rassie Erasmus' maiden year as Bok coach and for that reason Sharks coach John Plumtree urged modest expectations of the player who routinely delivered electrifying performances.

“I said at the beginning of the season that expectations should be realistic for a guy who has been out of the game for a very long time,” Plumtree said this week.

With Dyantyi absent from the game others have stepped up and made a mark at the highest level. The latest is Canan Moodie a player as long of stride as he is of ambition. Moodie perhaps did not grab the RWC by the scruff of the neck as many expected but he was hamstrung by injury.

Dyantyi will have to play out of his socks to keep Moodie in check.

Willie le Roux/Aphelele Fassi

In short this matchup pits master against maverick. Le Roux as wise old sage has been of immeasurable value to the Springboks. Not just for the way he makes defensive reads but his ability to offload try-scoring passes. While he added another World Cup winner's medal in Paris in October, his value to the Bulls' cause is yet to reveal itself.

With Le Roux unlikely to feature at the next RWC, Fassi will have great incentive to steal the show at Loftus. He is a player with a virtuoso skill set in attack but his defence is yet to invite similar praise. It will likely come under close scrutiny at Loftus and a composed display from the capricious Fassi will go some way to silencing his critics.