Springbok great Duane Vermeulen believes recent form could count for little when the Vodacom Bulls and Stormers collide in Saturday’s north-south derby at Loftus Versfeld.
The former Bok No 8, who represented both clubs during his career, says the visitors are still searching for rhythm despite possessing the quality to trouble any opponent.
“We saw in the past couple of games of the Stormers that something isn’t gelling. I don’t know what that is. But they’ve got class players and if they can work together than can definitely upset teams. With the Bulls, they struggled with a new coach but they seem to have found their way.
“The last couple of games it’s been good to see how they play as a collective. They’ve also become accustomed to what Johan wants to achieve. It seems like they’re very aligned, while the Stormers are missing their mark a little bit.”
Despite that contrast in momentum, Vermeulen warned that the derby rarely follows the script.
“But you never know. The north-south derby is always difficult to call. You can’t rely on previous form. You need to focus on the day. This is always a big crunch game for these teams. I’ve been on both sides, and on the winning and losing side. It’s a tough battle for sure.
“You go up to Loftus where altitude does play its part. Everyone goes there and says, sure it’s altitude, but if you take away the L it’s attitude. But I was with the Stormers for seven years and it was always difficult to play at Loftus.”
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Interestingly, the Cape side have enjoyed the upper hand in recent URC meetings at Loftus.
Since the start of the URC in 2021, the Stormers have won three of their four matches in Pretoria – though every clash has been fiercely contested.
The Stormers edged the first two encounters by four points each before the Bulls finally struck back with an emphatic 40-22 victory in the 2023-24 campaign. Last season the Stormers again snatched a narrow win, prevailing by three points.
Vermeulen said Loftus remains one of the toughest venues in South African rugby, even if the Stormers have found ways to win there in recent seasons.
“That has changed over the past few years and the Stormers have been very successful at Loftus. The Bulls still see it as their fortress though. I enjoyed both teams when I played for each in this derby. You give 100 per cent because that’s your team for this derby.”
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Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Duane: North-south derby hard to call appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
