Pretoria - As the United Rugby Championships move to the quarter-final stage this weekend, three South African sides will be in action.
Here IOL Sports rugby writers assess the challenge that will be presented by the key players in each team.
On Saturday at 1.45pm at Loftus Versveld, the Sharks will need to overcome the homeground advantage of the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship clash.
It won't be easy, and here Mike Greenaway looks at three of the Durbanites players that must stand up and account for themselves if they are to lift the Sharks to victory, and progress to the semi-finals of the tournament next week.
Siya Kolisi
The Sharks urgently need a big game from the Springbok captain. He is the current SA Player of the Year but we have not seen his excellent form from the series against the British and Irish Lions and in the Rugby Championship. He was almost anonymous in the Sharks’ defeat to Ulster and spent too much time out on the wing. He needs to up his game and help Thomas du Toit lead from the front.
Curwin Bosch
It wasn’t long ago that Bosch was out of favour and Boeta Chamberlain was the preferred flyhalf in the URC. Bosch was understood to be suffering from a confidence crisis. Slowly he was reintroduced back into the team and his belief grew again to the point that he was the general when the Sharks won seven out of eight games. But he had an iffy game against Ulster and must bounce back strongly to give the Sharks hope.
Lukhanyo Am
The Springbok vice-captain was in excellent form earlier this year for the Sharks and was the competition’s Player of the Month in February. He then went to Japan on sabbatical and returned for the Ulster game, where he looked decidedly rusty. Am is a world-class player and he needs to find his best form so he can ignite the Sharks’ lethal back three.
Here, IOL Sport’s Ashfak Mohamed looks at three Bulls players that will be key in this upcoming matchup.
Ruan Nortje
The No 5 lock never stops working, whether on attack or in defence. Nortje has added some power to his ball-carries despite a lean frame, and pops up in the right areas at the right time.
But that doesn’t mean that he shirks his primary responsibility. He snaffles the opposition lineout throw-ins almost as often as the Bulls feeds, and he will be stalking the Sharks locks throughout.
He is also commanding at the kickoffs, and is surely going to be a Springbok this year.
Elrigh Louw
After a barnstorming first half of the season, Louw’s spark was diminished somewhat by Stormers No 8 Evan Roos in their Cape Town Stadium clash a few months ago. While still physical, Louw hasn’t had quite the same impact as a ball-carrier since. He needs to find that bit of finesse that made him stand out previously – a little offload here and a run into space there – and what better time than a URC quarter-final against the likes of Siya Kolisi and Phepsi Buthelezi.
Madosh Tambwe
The former Lions and Sharks flyer has found a home at Loftus Versfeld, and now he is set sail again to France. But Tambwe has been exhilarating at times, with his side-stepping ability matching his raw pace. He is also solid under the high ball, and a strong defender. His opposition No 11, Makazole Mapimpi, is the Springbok incumbent, so if Tambwe has national team ambitions, this is the ideal game to showcase his talents.
The Stormers finished the regular season of the United Rugby Championship as SA Shield holders and on Saturday night at Cape Town Stadium they will face the Scottish and Italian Shield winners, Edinburgh.
It will not be a walkover - Edinburgh's matchday 23 is expected to be packed with Scottish internationals and the Stormers will have to be at their best to beat the visitors.
Here, IOL Sport’s Wynona Louw looks at the Stormers' players that will be key to claiming victory.
Damian Willemse
I don’t know what’s more impressive - Willemse’s unmissable talent, or his ability to put it on display and make an impact wherever he’s required.
Sure, there have been some issues at 10 (as is to be expected if you don’t get to settle) but he has made the best of his musical chairs situation by being an absolute force in the midfield.
Evan Roos
By now, calling Evan Roos a ‘future Springbok’ is as standard as expecting World Rugby to find new ways of keeping Rassie Erasmus off the field of play.
Roos has been one of the most consistently-standout performers for the Stormers, and it’s not even just been about work date or presence, he has been smashing stat upon star this season.
Count on him to continue the trend in the quarter-finals. After all, he has given us every reason to do just that.
Manie Libbok
Not that you should ever think ‘it’s alright if he has an off day’ when it comes to any player, but Libbok - as the general and one of the Stormers’ key performers in the backline - is definitely not one any Stormers fans will be hoping to be anything but brilliant on the day.
He has come a long way since first touching down in Cape Town, and now, as the Dobson’s unit look to go the distance, some Manie Magic will no doubt give them that boost.
IOL Sport