Who will win the big moments?
The great north-south derby, the Bulls versus Stormers, equates to a Test match. It may sound cliched, but it is a fact!
For that reason it will be all about discipline and winning the 'big moments' when the Bulls host the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in their Super Rugby season-opener on Friday.
The Bulls, who had no surprises in their team named on Tuesday, will miss only a couple of Springboks – veteran wing Akona Ndungane and loose forward Jacques Potgieter.
Ndungane took a knock in the pre-season encounter with the Cheetahs and haven't recovered yet, opening the door for Lions loan player Lionel Mapoe – with 28 Super Rugby caps and a Bok tourist last year – to come in on the right wing.
Potgieter is coming back from groin surgery and coach Frans Ludeke felt it was not worth risking him against the men from the Cape.
"It is a long season and we didn't want to take any chances with Jacques," Ludeke told this website.
That means the Bulls field a settled team that features 14 Springboks in the starting XV – the exception being rookie prop Morné Mellett.
The Bulls mentor made no secret about what will decide this encounter between the two traditional rivals.
"Whenever we play the Stormers there is very little between the two teams," Ludeke said, when asked about encounters that have seen only one blow-out in last five years, when Bulls sent their B Team to Cape Town ahead of the 2010 Final.
Other than that the largest margin since 2008 was 10 points, with two three-pointers and a four-pointer in the last three encounters.
"It is about discipline and about one or two the big moments," Ludeke said, adding: "Both teams are very good in that regard.
"These two teams always bring out the best in each other, so there's never a shortage of motivation..
"Both teams are filled with world class players, so it is always on par with a Test match.
"That is why it is about discipline, quality set pieces that allow you to get out of your own area and when you are on attack [set pieces] that allow you to set a platform to launch those raids.
"When you get good opportunities you must be able to put points on the board."
The Bulls coach said he was very happy to be working with a more settled and mature team than last year this time, when they had to start over after the departure of a number of legends from the franchise.
"We had a great pre-season and there was a completely different attitude from the players," he told this website, adding: "The guys are more focussed and we are well prepared.
"Every season has its own unique challenges, but we feel we have made the right adjustments to how we play.
"Certain aspect of our play, which we worked on in the off-season, went well and we saw that in the warm-up matches that came through well.
"So we are happy with our build-up and looking forward to the occasion."
By Jan de Koning
