Rugby 365 Preview: S14 Final, Bulls v Stormers

With it being an all SA affair, these lads do an excellent preview. Original at http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/...ws/2441140.htm
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After 15 weeks of planning, plotting and playing it comes down to this: An 80-minute resolute and unwavering arm-wrestle for the most prized possession outside of the Test arena.

Yes, the men from the Northern Hemisphere will protest loudly that their Heineken Cup is, at least, the equal of Super Rugby.

However, the Heineken Cup is a stop-start competition by nature, a tournament played in two-week pockets, interspersed by other domestic competitions of varying standards and even internationals. Their domestic competitions are also marked by festive season breaks and the inevitable weather interruptions.

The Super 14 has been 15 weeks of unrelenting and brutal near international clashes, a competition widely accepted as just a small step down from Test rugby.

And now, more than three months after the opening round in mid-February there are just two teams left standing - the defending champion Bulls and the first-time finalist Stormers.

It is a game that will feature 23 players with international experience - 14 of them in the Bulls' camp, 11 in the starting XV.

Not surprising then that most of the players tell you it will be a game of Test-match intensity.

It is also a game featuring the competition's best attack, the Bulls, against the tournament's stingiest defence, the Stormers.

The Bulls have scored an amazing 50 tries in their 14 matches (13 league fixtures and the semifinal).

They are up against a Stormers team that has conceded just 17 tries - just once the oppositions scored more than twice in a game and three times they blanked the opposition, twice against the Waratahs, including the semifinal.

Bulls captain Victor Matfield, who said the first-ever rugby Final at Soweto's iconic Orlando Stadium will be a "huge" occasion, spoke of the need for "patience on attack" as the key for the Bulls if they hope to win their third Super Rugby title.

It may be the Stormers' first appearance in a Final, but the veteran Springbok lock, Matfield, has the utmost respect for the opposition.

"They have a very powerful unit and the best defensive record in the competition," Matfield told rugby365.com, when asked about the qualities of the Stormers.

"We will have to be very patient on attack.

"You know you don't break their lines easily, so there is no doubt we will have to be patient and clinical.

"It is going to be a very interesting game," he said of the attack-versus-defence scenario that is likely to play itself out in Soweto.

Matfield and five of his teammates were part of the World Cup-winning Bok team in 2007. The Stormers feature four players who were involved in France 2007.

That is obviously on another level, but the combination of the venue and the number of internationals in action in Orlando on Saturday will ensure this will be an occasion to be remembered.

"No doubt it will be a special day on Saturday, it will be huge," Matfield told rugby365.com, when asked about the Soweto showdown.

"Many people have experience the Orlando Stadium vibe [in the semifinal win over the Crusaders] last weekend.

"This weekend there is bound to be a host of Stormers supporters, which will add to the atmosphere.

"But most of all, it remains a north-south derby.

"Probably the biggest game the Bulls can play is against the Stormers or Western Province, and with the game being in Soweto it just makes the occasion so much more special."

The importance of the occasion has also not been lost on Stormers coach Allister Coetzee.

"Because we live in SA, when did we play Currie Cup or Super 14 rugby in Soweto?" Coetzee asked, when quizzed about the venue and its significance.

"Especially up in the north, how sport has been perceived by a certain group in the country. For us as the Stormers it's great to be part of history. It's perceived as a soccer-playing community and on the other hand the white-dominated sport playing there for the first time.

"It's not rocket science. It's brilliant and it shows how far the country has moved along. It's great for us to be part of developing the game and having a rugby match in Soweto ahead of the [soccer] World Cup is great for the code."

Players to watch:

For the Bulls: You don't need to look past the leadership structures to find the key players - captain Victor Matfield as the line-out master and his fellow tactician in scrumhalf Fourie du Preez. There are many other wise heads - centres Jaco Pretorius and Wynand Olivier, flyhalf Morné Steyn, brutish No.8 Pierre Spies, lock Danie Rossouw, hooker Gary Botha and prop Gurthrö Steenkamp. You have even more of that on the bench in Jaco van der Westhuyzen and Pedrie Wannenburg.

For the Stormers: There is no doubt two of the most astute acquisitions this season were by the Stormers - World Cup winners Jaque Fourie and Bryan Habana. The role of Fourie in that impressive defensive record of the Stormers can never be underestimated. Then there is also the brutal energy of captain Schalk Burger and the most impressive form of lock Andries Bekker. That is counter-balanced by the attacking exuberance of Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh, the power of Duane Vermeulen and Francois Louw, along with the scrumming prowess of Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg and Wicus Blaauw.

Head to head: What a delectable battle the line-outs will be - Victor Matfield (Bulls) against Andries Bekker (Stormers). That will be the artistry in the forwards. If it is brute force and powerful running you are looking for there is Pierre Spies (Bulls) against Duane Vermeulen (Stormers). The key battle will most likely be at halfback - Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn (Bulls) against Dewaldt Duvenage and Peter Grant (Stormers). They will dictate the terms in a game where the margins will be miniscule. But let us not forget the excitement that the speedy flyers bring - Gerhard van den Heever and Francois Hougaard (Bulls) against Gio Aplon and Bryan Habana (Stormers).

Super 14 results - Bulls v Stormers:
2010: Stormers won 38-10, Cape Town
2009: Bulls won 14-10, Pretoria
2008: Bulls won 16-9, Cape Town
2007: Bulls won 49-12, Pretoria
2006: Bulls won 43-10, Cape Town

Road to the Final:

The Bulls:
Week One: bt the Cheetahs 51-34, Bloemfontein
Week Two: bt the Brumbies 50-32, Pretoria
Week Three: bt the Waratahs 48-38, Pretoria
Week Four: Bye
Week Five: bt the Highlanders 50-35, Pretoria
Week Six: bt the Hurricanes 19-18, Pretoria
Week Seven: bt the Western Force 28-15, Perth
Week Eight: lost to the Blues 17-32, Auckland
Week Nine: bt the Chiefs 33-19, Hamilton
Week 10: lost to the Reds 12-19, Brisbane
Week 11: bt the Lions 51-11, Pretoria
Week 12: bt the Sharks 27-19, Pretoria
Week 13: bt the Crusaders 40-35, Pretoria
Week 14: lost to the Stormers, Cape Town
Semifinal: bt the Crusaders 39-24, Soweto

The Stormers:
Week One: bt the Lions 26-13, Johannesburg
Week Two: bt the Waratahs 27-6, Cape Town
Week Three: lost to the Brumbies 17-19, Cape Town
Week Four: bt the Highlanders 33-0, Cape Town
Week Five: bt the Hurricanes 37-13, Cape Town
Week Six: bt the Cheetahs 21-8, Cape Town
Week Seven: Bye
Week Eight: lost to the Western Force 15-16, Perth
Week Nine: bt the Blues 33-21, Auckland
Week 10: bt the Chiefs 49-15, Hamilton
Week 11: lost to the Reds 13-16, Brisbane
Week 12: bt the Crusaders 42-14, Cape Town
Week 13: lost to the Sharks 14-20, Durban
Week 14: bt the Bulls 38-10, Cape Town
Semifinal: bt the Waratahs 25-6, Cape Town

rugby365.com Prediction: The bookmakers have installed the Bulls as favourites, while history and statistics also suggest the Men from Pretoria should be fancied. One of the overwhelming facts is that the Bulls are the defending champions and will be aiming to become only the third Super Rugby franchise to win back-to-back titles - joining the Crusaders (2005, 2006 and 1998, 1999, 2000) and Blues (1996, 1997). This is, of course, the Bulls' third Final in four years, while the Stormers are appearing in their first. Nine Bulls players - Wynand Olivier, Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pedrie Wannenburg, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Derick Kuün, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Pierre Spies - will be playing in their third Final. Zane Kirchner, Jaco Pretorius, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Werner Kruger and Chiliboy Ralepelle also appeared in last year's Final. The only Stormers player to have been in a Super Rugby Final is wing Bryan Habana - a member of the Bulls teams that won in 2007 and 2009. However, Schalk Burger, Jaque Fourie and Ricky Januarie were part of the Bok team that won the World Cup in 2007. In the balance of it all you have to believe that the Bulls will have an edge. We believe the Bulls' experience will see them sneak a close victory - by less than 10 points.

The teams:

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 21 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 22 Pedrie Wannenburg.

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (captain), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Tim Whitheead.

Date: Saturday, May 29
Venue: Orlando Stadium, Soweto
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Expected weather: More clouds than sun. Cool at kick-off time. High of 19°C, low of 4°C. Light breeze, 9km/h N. There's a 32 percent chance of precipitation.
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referees: Cobus Wessels, Christie du Preez
Reserve referee: Mark Lawrence
TMO: Shaun Veldsman