Johan Ackermann says form will mean little when the Vodacom Bulls and Stormers clash in Saturday’s north-south derby at Loftus.
The Bulls have named a Springbok-laden lineup for the Vodacom URC clash as they look to continue their recent resurgence. In contrast, the Stormers arrive in Pretoria under pressure after suffering three successive defeats.
However, Ackermann warned that form often counts for little when the traditional rivals collide.
“It’s a big challenge. Historically, it’s a great derby that goes way back. Some of the best players in the country are always involved. It’s a big privilege.
“Stats-wise, the Stormers have one of the best set-pieces in the competition: their lineout, maul and scrum.
“There’s a lot at stake for both teams, which adds to the intensity.”
TEAM: Bulls unleash heavy hitters for derby
The Stormers claimed bragging rights earlier this season, edging the Bulls 13-8 in Cape Town in January.
Ackermann believes the depth and continuity within his squad could be crucial as the Bulls look to flip the script at Loftus.
“We’re really blessed in that we only have Stravino [Jacobs] and Akker [van der Merwe] out, the rest of the squad is all selectable,” he reflected.
“Cameron [Hanekom] will hopefully also be ready soon. It’s great and it makes selection difficult.
TEAM: Returning quartet boost Stormers
“It obviously gives us a bit of continuity and hopefully we’ll see that on the field, but we saw over the weekend [in the Six Nations] that rugby has an equalising factor.
“If you don’t perform on the day, you don’t get the result. So even though we’ve got this continuity and it puts us in good stead, we still have to perform and we’ve seen over the years how close local derbies are.”
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Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Ackers: Derby leveller awaits appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Johan Ackermann says form will mean little when the Vodacom Bulls and Stormers clash in Saturday’s north-south derby at Loftus.
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