Stormers brace for intense Bulls onslaught
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani doesn’t expect the Bulls to deviate too much from what has worked for them in the last few weeks when the old rivals face off in a crucial United Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
Both teams will enter the match in fine form as the race for play-off spots heats up. There is also the target of being South African Shield winners.
The Stormers held onto sixth place on the log with 43 points following their 29-13 win over Ospreys in Round 15.
The Bulls trail by a single point in seventh position after their 34-16 win over Ulster, and the Sharks are hot on their heels with 41 points.
The Sharks will be up against the Lions on Saturday in the other SA derby, but the Stormers v Bulls showdown will have most of the spotlight.
And Hlungwani is expecting the Bulls to bring their expansive style to the Cape Town Stadium this weekend.
“We know the Bulls have been playing quite an attractive brand of rugby,” said Hlungwani.
“They got a lot of speedsters on the outside who have been scoring some beautiful tries.
“I don’t think they would want to change the way they play this weekend.
“I think they would want to continue with how well they have been playing and keeping the systems going.
He added: “We are playing against a very good Bulls side. I don’t think they would want to adjust much.
“They have some good things going their side – scoring a lot of tries.
“They got a very strong pack as well and they contest the line-out really well.
“It’s going to be an extremely tough game against the Bulls this weekend.”
Hlungwani said his team are fully aware of the magnitude of the game.
“The Bulls game is always a big one for us,” Hlungwani added.
“The mindset will definitely be the same.
“We are expecting them to come out hard and try to impose their physicality on us.
“We always felt the North-South derbies are big games. It’s not too much of a big change in terms of our approach or the seriousness of the game.
“We always take this game seriously.”
A place in the top four in the overall standings is within reach, but the Stormers will not be letting that distract them from the task at hand.
“We don’t look at the log that much. When we prepare against the Bulls we always carry it with a lot of weight,” Hlungwani explained.
“It would be nice to win and it would be nice to make the top four, but the game in itself is big enough for us to get ourselves up.”
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