Bulls go to North-South derby weathering Stormers in a teacup

The North-South derby between the Bulls and Stormers continues to capture the imagination of South African rugby fans, with the news late on Thursday that Cape Town Stadium has been sold out for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash.

The recent fortunes of the two sides could scarcely be more different, with the Stormers aiming for their 10th successive win in the URC and Champions Cup, while the Bulls have lost their past five games.

The URC log shows it is the unbeaten, top-of-the-log Stormers, two points clear of the chasing pack, up against last season’s beaten finalists who seem to be paying for the off-season ructions that saw Jake White fired as coach and replaced by Johan Ackermann.

The new boss has steered them to just three wins in seven matches, which is why they are languishing in 10th place, two points off the playoffs.

The build-up has been dominated by the news that the embattled Bulls will receive help from the Springbok assistant coaches. This has not happened in this derby week, but the irony is the Cape media and some of the Stormers coaching staff have accused the Bulls of playing mind games in the build-up to their meeting.

The furore has almost entirely originated from the Cape, however, and quite why they are worried about the Bulls getting any tactical advantage when the move speaks to the problems Ackermann is having, is the early contender for the most bizarre storm in a teacup of 2026.

The nature of derbies, however, is that the log positions are no predictor. The Bulls, backs against the wall, will take their most powerful outfit to Cape Town.

If the Bulls pack steps up, then they have the firepower in Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhardus Steenekamp, Cobus Wiese, Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw and Wilco Louw, to deny the Cape side the front-foot ball momentum they thrive on.

Handré Pollard, the forgotten flyhalf of Springbok rugby despite steering them to two World Cup triumphs, will no doubt build upon whatever forward dominance his pack gains with erudite kicking and game management, in typical Bulls No 10 fashion.

The match-up between Pollard and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the dazzling attacking Bok flyhalf who has been training this week in a return from injury, will be the most talked-about individual battle.

In Durban, there is another feisty South African derby with the Sharks hosting the Lions.

Since JP Pietersen has taken over as Sharks coach, they have recorded victories over Saracens and the Bulls.

We’re aware conditions will be tough in the heat and humidity of Durban, and we need to stay in the moment in terms of our game management.

—  Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher

“Getting two wins does help; it brings more energy, and the team becomes tighter. But those two mean nothing if we do not back them up, which is why we need to keep working and growing,” Pietersen said.

Springboks Ox Nché and Aphelele Fassi return to the Sharks line-up, joining 10 other Boks and two on the bench.

The Lions have lost their past three matches since coming out well on top of the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld but have been competitive in their losses to Benetton Treviso, Newcastle and the Stormers in Cape Town.

The problem has been their finishing, and assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher says the whole squad have committed to more clinical execution on attack.

“We’re aware conditions will be tough in the heat and humidity of Durban, and we need to stay in the moment in terms of our game management. We need to be playing in the right areas with the right ball,” he said.

South African teams’ URC fixtures

Saturday:

• Sharks vs Lions, Kings Park (3.30pm)
• Stormers vs Bulls, Cape Town Stadium (6pm)

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