Cape Town — The Bulls were down and out after the first six matches of the United Rugby Championship, with just a single win in 2021.
But now they will take on the Stormers in Saturday’s final at Cape Town Stadium, and coach Jake White will be hoping that his team have one more big performance in them after beating Leinster 27-26 in Dublin.
We are profiling the entire Bulls starting XV that have got them to the title decider and are likely to face the Stormers, and today we look at the halfbacks…
Flyhalf: Chris Smith
Despite being a born-and-bred Cape Town boy, Smith had to leave home to make it as a professional. He came through SACS and then Stellenbosch University, where a lead role for Maties in their march to the 2018 Varsity Cup title resulted in a contract at the Pumas.
Renowned for his accurate goal-kicking and cool temperament, Smith continued to impress at the Mpumalanga side, which attracted the attention of the Bulls in 2019.
Initially, though, he had to wait his turn as Morné Steyn returned from France to steer the Bulls ship at flyhalf, and then Johan Goosen starred in a superb Currie Cup campaign that was set to grant him a ticket into the Springbok squad again.
Smith had to step in when Goosen was struck down with a serious knee injury during the URC tour to Europe last October, and he has been wearing the No 10 most of the time since.
Even when Steyn was back from Bok duty, Jake White placed his trust in Smith to call the shots in the backline, and that backing has seen the 27-year-old flourish.
He possesses the attacking game that makes the Bulls tick – steady, few mistakes, doing the right thing at the time, and a wide-ranging passing and kicking game.
Smith showed his class once more with a well-taken drop goal to win the quarter-final against the Sharks, while he slotted the important kicks again in Dublin against Leinster.
Now he will come against Manie Libbok, whom he essentially replaced at Loftus Versfeld, in what will be an intriguing chess game to see who can pull the strings most effectively.
Scrumhalf: Zak Burger
The livewire scrumhalf is also a Cape product, having attended Paarl Gym, but decided to leave home to make a name for himself. After a year at the Sharks, Burger quickly became a stalwart at Griquas, and was appointed as the captain in Kimberley in his final year.
He was remembered as much for his speed across the ground as he was for an impressive mullet, and the SA Under-20 No 9 then decided to make the big move to Pretoria as a replacement for Ivan van Zyl, who joined Saracens in England.
Burger made a fresh start and also got rid of his mullet, but also had to be patient to become the first-choice scrumhalf.
Van Zyl was the man in charge of the No 9 jersey, and when he left, Embrose Papier returned with a bang and showed why he was a Springbok.
The two men traded positions between the starting XV and the bench, but earlier this season, Papier battled with concussion and a few injuries, and Burger is now the undoubted No 1 scrumhalf at Loftus Versfeld.
The key to his play is his speed and willingness to take on the defence, and sometimes he becomes conservative and uses the boot too often.
Over the last few weeks, though, Burger has found that knack of knowing when to have a dart around the fringes and when to kick, while his up-and-unders have been pinpoint as well.
Stormers No 9 Herschel Jantjies is in the Springbok squad despite not being at his best this season, so Burger will be keen to make a statement and put him under pressure in the final.
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