John Dobson, head coach of the Stormers. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky, BackpagePix
Leighton Koopman
The Stormers will play their last match in the United Rugby Championship for more than two months at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon, which should be enough motivation for them to tame the Bulls.
An expected sold-out North-South Derby (2pm start) awaits, and that will give the Cape outfit more reason to reward the loyalty of their supporters by picking up a seventh win in the tournament over the Jake White-coached side.
After Saturday, they are only expected to be back in action in Cape Town in April again.
The inaugural URC champions have never lost against the Bulls at home in this tournament, and despite being devoid of several key players, they will be desperate enough to keep that record intact.
That desperation to not go down against their arch-rivals and the extra energy of the majority of the 50,000-plus crowd should spur the home team on even when they have their backs against the wall.
Considering their log position – the Stormers are currently 12th and outside a play-off position – it’s safe to assume the home side will come out wanting to improve their title prospects.
They come off the back of two tough away losses, to Racing 92 (Champions Cup) and Leinster (URC), and considering they will be back on the road after Saturday's duel, they’ll need to find winning momentum somewhere.
What also counts in their favour is that their home record this season reads way better than the away one.
The Cape outfit only lost to defending champions the Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch at the start of the season, and against Toulon in Gqeberha in the Champions Cup.
But their winning stats in the Mother City remain unblemished.
So, sealing another win over White and his Bulls could also serve as a turning point for their campaign, something desperately needed.
While the hosts have already dispatched the Lions and Sharks in December in Cape Town in crucial local derbies, it’s the clash against the Bulls that matters in terms of the South African conference and how it will shape things going forward.
The Stormers are on top in the SA Shield, owing to only one loss against the Sharks.
But falling to the Bulls could see them spiral, as tough matches away in Johannesburg and Pretoria await over the next couple of weeks.
More overseas games will follow the local derbies before they eventually face Connacht on 19 April at Cape Town Stadium again.
That is a long wait for another home game, so they will have an opportunity to reward their fans’ loyalty and show their intent to keep fighting for a URC play-off spot.
Coach John Dobson will announce his team today, and he has had much to ponder on this weekend due to the number of injuries that have sidelined key personnel such as Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Steven Kitshoff and JD Schickerling.
Young flyhalf Jurie Matthee may slot in at No.10 if Manie Libbok is unable to shake off a knee injury, while there could be a few faces in midfield and out wide, as Ruhan Nel and Suleiman Hartzenberg also missed training on Wednesday.
But the good news is that centre Dan du Plessis is back and available for selection.
Arguably the biggest duel will be between the two loose trios, with Stormers captain Deon Fourie possibly being partnered by fellow Boks Ben-Jason Dixon and Evan Roos, while the Bulls are well stocked with Marcell Coetzee and Cameron Hanekom – although Elrigh Louw is out with a knee injury.