Stormers v Bulls – who will dominate?

The Stormers and Bulls will kick off the 2013 Super Rugby tournament for the South African franchises on Friday, when they face off at Loftus.

The Stormers will be without the strength of Schalk Burger, as well as Eben Etzebeth, who are both out due to injury. That said, the talented Siya Kolisi will provide a great ball-carrying option for the Cape Town side, and his precensce at the breakdown will be integral to the match.

The Stormers will have to look to their backline for some magic, and with Elton Jantjies making his debut following the death of his father, the 22-year old will be relishing the chance to make an impact.

Jaco Taute was solid at fullback in the trial games, and his counter-attacking skills should be used to full-effect again the Bulls outfit.

The Bulls themselves will be without the Springbok experience of Akona Ndungane and Jacques Potgieter.

That said, the Pretoria side will have some new blood in the form of Lionel Mapoe and Mornè Mellett making their Super Rugby debuts for the Bulls.

The combo of Stegmann, Potgieter and Spies should provide some trouble for the Stormers forwards, and the loose trios’ battles will be an interesting factor.

Morne Steyn will be looking to get his game back on form following some lacklustre Springbok performances, and he has the players around him to make it happen.

Stormers

15 Jaco Taute, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jean de Villiers (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 Don Armand, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Dewaldt Duvenage, 21 Gerhard van den Heever, 22 Joe Pietersen.

The Bulls

The team (with Super Rugby caps): 15 Zane Kirchner (71), 14 Lionel Mapoe (28), 13 JJ Engelbrecht (17), 12 Wynand Olivier (103), 11 Bjorn Basson (42), 10 Mornè Steyn (106), 9 Francois Hougaard (45), 8 Pierre Spies (89, c), 7 Dewald Potgieter (54), 6 Deon Stegmann (60), 5 Juandrè Kruger (17), 4 Flip van der Merwe (48),3 Werner Kruger (75), 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (52), 1 Mornè Mellett (0).
Replacements: Willie Wepener (53), Frik Kirsten (15), Grant Hattingh (9), Arno Botha (10), Jano Vermaak (88), Louis Fouchè (10), Francois Venter (8).

Date: Friday, February 22
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Rasta Rashivenga (South Africa), Stefan Breytenbach (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)

Rugby Informer’s take: The match in Pretoria will be tightly-contested, but while the Stormers have the flair, the Bulls’ experience should give them the edge that will separate the two teams. Bulls by 7.