Bulls coach Jake White pins hopes on veteran Willie le Roux for Stormers clash

Willie or won't he? That was the teasing question either side of the north/south divide this week as Bulls director of rugby Jake White weighed up his selection options for the derby clash against the Stormers.

In the end, the Bulls mentor opted to put his faith in the game-breaking abilities of Willie le Roux at flyhalf for Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) derby in Cape Town.

Some may call White's decision to put his chips squarely on Le Roux as a gamble — but to be fair, it isn't a selection devoid of currency.

Le Roux, even when he wears the No 15 jersey, frequently pops up at first receiver and it is from there that his deft hand, and at times boot, is the defence's undoing.

The absence of Johan Goosen through injury and the lack of thrust, if not gravitas of Boeta Chamberlain in the No 10 jersey, has brought White to the conclusion that Le Roux is worth a punt at pivot.

Canan Moodie will get a crack on the right-wing in his 50th game for the Bulls, which should also provide the visitors' some aerial elasticity in their kick-chase game.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels gets a start at loose head prop, while Gerhard Steenekamp will have to wait his turn on the bench.

Flank Marcell Coetzee will slip on the captain's armband in the absence of the injured lock Ruan Nortje, while RF van Heerden takes the vacant spot in the second row.

Reinhardt Ludwig has to fill the considerable boots of the injured loose forward Elrigh Louw.

The Bulls, however, still boast considerable talent — not to mention the surging form of No 8 Cameron Hanekom.

Curiously though, it is perhaps in the back row where the Stormers will feel they can beat the Bulls to the punch.

Deon Fourie, Ben-Jason Dixon and Evan Roos will hope to more than stand their ground against Coetzee and co, but in the end there may be little that separates in the battle for gainline supremacy.

For the Stormers to fully match — if not topple — the Bulls upfront, they will need URC season-defining performances from captain and lock Salmaan Moerat, tighthead prop Frans Malherbe and hooker Joseph Dweba.

Moerat, who has played in 10 Tests and has captained the Springboks, needs to deliver a performance commensurate with those distinctions. The capricious Dweba has to find consistency in the set pieces, while Malherbe has a reputation to uphold at scrum time.

The immovable tighthead prop Wilco Louw provides the Bulls ballast at scrum time and it is from his side the visitors will be hoping to apply the squeeze.

While they may match the Bulls for bulk the Stormers appear a little thin on experience in the back division. Halfbacks Paul de Wet and Jurie Matthee will be under immense scrutiny but the Stormers will be grateful to have the steady Dan du Plessis back at inside centre.

What the Stormers may lack in grizzled hands on deck they do enjoy a fair amount of buoyancy, thanks to their record in the SA Shield. Though the Bulls topped the SA Shield last season, the Stormers boast a remarkable record: since the URC's inception in 2021, they have lost once each against the Bulls, the Sharks and the Lions across 21 derby matches. The nous, know-how and sheer bloody-mindedness they apply in derby matches have helped forge the team's character.

Even if they see more of the ball and boss the gainline, the Bulls may find the Stormers mindset the hardest to break. 

Teams

Stormers — Warrick Gelant; Ben Loader, Wandisile Simelane, Dan du Plessis; Leolin Zas; Jurie Matthee, Stefan Ungerer; Evan Roos, Ben-Jason Dixon, Deon Fourie, Ruben van Heerden, Salmaan Moerat (captain); Frans Malherbe, Joseph Dweba, Sti Sithole.

Substitutes: André-Hugo Venter, Brok Harris, Sazi Sandi, Gary Porter, Marcel Theunissen; Herschel Jantjies, Jonathan Roche, Clayton Blommetjies.

Bulls — Devon Williams; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sergeal Petersen; Willie le Roux, Embrose Papier; Cameron Hanekom, Reinhardt Ludwig, Marcell Coetzee (captain); JF van Heerden, Cobus Wiese; Wilco Louw, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Substitutes: Akker van der Merwe, Gerhard Steenekamp, Francois Klopper, Ruan Vermaak, Nizaam Carr; Zak Burger, Boeta Chamberlain, Sebastian de Klerk.

Referee: Morne Ferreira

Assistant referees: Griffin Colby, Sean Muller

TMO: Quinton Immelman

Kickoff: 2pm