'Derbies are won on Mondays'
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The Stormers will clash with the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in a traditional South African derby. But has the game already begun?
Stormers forwards coach Matt Proudfoot is a firm believer that the build-up to a big match is as important as the 80 minutes on the field, and has urged his players to be mentally prepared.
"I think derby games are won on a Monday morning and you want the guys to get out of bed and think 'Wow I'm excited about this weekend's game', and to bring that energy to training," Proudfoot told this website.
The winner of Saturday's encounter will top the South African conference when the final whistle blows, while the Sharks are also nipping at their heels on the log.
The Stormers will be relieved to have Siya Kolisi back in their ranks, after the flank failed a late fitness test and missed the defeat to the Sharks last weekend. Hooker Deon Fourie stepped up to wear the No.6 jersey in the clash, but Proudfoot is happy to have a specialist flank pack down on the side of the scrum this time out.
"To come in late and change position and perform like that was great and I thought Deon was one of our standout players," Proudfoot said.
"(But) Siya has been one of our best players for the whole season, so it's great to have him back for this big match."
The Stormers will have to tackle the Bulls without young loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff, who is training with the South African Under-20 squad. In his absence, the battle for the No.1 jersey is likely to be between veteran front row Deon Carstens and Wicus Blaauw.
"Losing Steven is tough as is always the case when you lose one of your starters, but Deon and Wicus are both experienced players," the forwards coach said.
"Wicus has also done very well against the Bulls in the past, so if we decide to give him a go we know he can do a job for us."
"It will be tough against that Bulls pack and they're coming back from a very successful tour. In both of their last two matches on the road they were within a sniff of picking up the win.
"There are a whole host of Bulls players in the Springbok training squad, which just goes to show how well they've been performing."
The other news in the Stormers camp is the return of openside flank Pieter Louw, who is back training with the squad.
The 28-year-old was not offered a new contract at the end of last season, but will now begin his return to top-level rugby.
"He and Allister had a chat, so Pieter will join us going forward," Proudfoot explained.
However, Louw hasn't played any rugby for some time and is far from ready to dive in and help the Stormers with their loose forward injury woes.
Proudfoot revealed: "He still needs some work on his conditioning and we won't rush him back and put him under pressure."
By Timmy Hancox
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