Johannesburg — Hold onto your boot-straps rugby fans for this week we can all indulge in watching the great north versus south divide colliding not once, but twice as Blue Bulls Rugby and Western Province Rugby spar for honours in both the return fixtures of the Currie Cup and United Rugby Championship.
And the stakes could not be bigger.
The teams are currently one-for-one this season after the Bulls beat the Province at Newlands in the Currie Cup, only for the Stormers to then beat the Bulls at Loftus a few days later in January in the United Rugby Championship.
This time around, the venues are reversed — the Currie Cup clash on Wednesday will be hosted by the Bulls, while the season-defining United Rugby Championship encounter will be played at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
“I won’t say we are looking for revenge,” said Bulls utility-back Keagan Johannes yesterday while speaking of this week’s return fixtures.
“It is always tough between the Bulls and the Western Province — it is a big derby. Victory is always the outcome that we are striving for, and I would definitely say we owe them one.
“We have to win all of our games in the URC as well, so we can’t become lax in one of our remaining games. We must give our best in both matches this week to win.”
The 22-year-old Johannes, who can play in both half-back positions but prefers the scrumhalf jumper, is correct in his assessment. Both matches will have a definitive impact on the season, more so in the United Rugby Championship.
In the Currie Cup, the Bulls can overtake the Free State Cheetahs, who have a bye this week, and assume top billing in that tournament. WP, meanwhile, will be desperate to climb up the standings and make a fist of their domestic campaign.
On Saturday, the SA conference — and qualification for the top tier and lucrative European Rugby Champions Cup — is on the line as one point separates the sixth-placed Stormers and seventh-placed Bulls.
Both teams come off excellent runs in the United Rugby Championship.
The Bulls are on a five-match winning streak, while the Stormers have won all four matches this past month at home against European outfits; and this match might just come down to fine margins and the rub of the green.
The same cannot be said of the Currie Cup clash.
Due to director of rugby Jake White’s policy of selecting the most powerful matchday 23 regardless of the tournament, the Blue Bulls — coached by Gert Smal — will arguably be favourites mid-week against a more conservative WP. And, as pointed out by Johannes, the Bulls are desperate to claim victory at any cost, whether it be against WP or Stormers.
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“We are in a good streak currently. Every match is a final now — these matches are must wins if we are to get into the playoffs. We are certainly grafting hard,” said Johannes.
“They (the Stormers) are playing very good rugby at the moment. One of their strengths is that it seems they never set-up a ruck. It looks like they keep the ball alive at all times, so to slow down their ball and to dominate them physically will do us well.
“They play a lot of running rugby, but we must just think of what good things they can do. We are also playing good rugby at the moment and we also want to take the fight to them.”
IOL Sport