Johan Ackermann says the Vodacom Bulls and Stormers’ form going into Saturday’s north-south derby at Loftus, is not an accurate indicator of what the result will be.
The Bulls have named a Springbok-laden lineup for the clash as the Pretoria side look to continue their resurgence after a slow and disruptive start to the season.
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While the Bulls appear to be peaking, the Stormers arrive in Pretoria under pressure after suffering three successive defeats following an eight-match winning streak.
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, which adds to the intensity.”
The Stormers also 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 Strevino [Jacobs] and Akker [van Der Merwe] out, the rest of the squad is all selectable,” Ackermann reflected.
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“Cameron [Hanekom] will hopefully also be ready soon. It’s great and it makes selection difficult. 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] 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
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