Cape Town — The intimidating crowd and altitude makes it tough for any Stormers team at Loftus Versfeld, but former captain Jean de Villiers describes facing the Bulls in Pretoria as the stuff of dreams.
In a column for the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Thursday, the ex-Stormers, Western Province and Springbok stalwart reminisced about taking on the light blue machine over the years ahead of Saturday’s showdown at Loftus (5.05pm kick-off).
The Stormers are enjoying a golden run against the Bulls, having won their last four encounters — including the URC final, where they triumphed 18-13 at Cape Town Stadium last June.
But the Bulls will be fired up to turn things around this weekend, especially with their coach Jake White back at the helm after being sidelined following a recent operation.
“If you go back over the past few decades, you’ll find that the strength in South African rugby always lay in the Western Cape and the north. Northern Transvaal versus Western Province always contained the bulk of the Springbok team. That’s where the traditional power base of South African rugby could always be found,” De Villiers wrote.
“More recently, this power base has been spread a bit wider to include the Sharks, as they enjoyed periods of dominance in the late 80s and early 90s.
“But for me as a kid growing up — and with my dad André also playing for Western Province — this was the big game. It was always all about south versus north, Western Province versus Northern Transvaal, the Stormers versus the Bulls.
“Growing up, I have so many great memories of this match. The 80s was a special era for Western Province with Carel du Plessis and that whole squad. If I think back to that era I think of Du Plessis and how he was able to swerve and beat defenders. I was in awe of that.
“Then I remember my heart being broken in the 1998 Currie Cup final at Loftus Versfeld, when Conrad Breytenbach scored the try that helped to beat Western Province that year. That one really hurt.”
De Villiers then remembered two special occasions when he was involved in Stormers matches at Loftus Versfeld.
“I remember the first time I played against the Bulls in the 2003 Currie Cup … at Newlands. In the first-round match, the Bulls had smashed Western Province – I didn’t play in that game as I was still injured,” he said.
“But in the return game at Newlands we swept over them in one of the finest matches I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in. I scored two tries in that game, and it stands out for me to this day as one of the great matches between these two teams.
“Another classic north versus south match I remember well was in 2012. Compared to the Bulls team that year, we had a pretty under-strength Stormers team.
“We hadn’t had great success going up to Loftus, and we were headed there again with a team where we had one or two club players that had just come in. We were definitely up against it.
“I think it was Siya Kolisi’s first season with the Stormers. I remember he made this fantastic break and passed to Bryan Habana, who scored a spectacular try, and we went on to win that game.
“That game really summed up what I believe this north versus south battle is all about. We should’ve stood no real chance against a very strong Vodacom Bulls team that year, but this was a classic case of this match bringing out something bigger in a team.
“It was one of those games where a bunch of players came together and just really understood what we were playing for, and we all played out of our skins that day.”
John Dobson’s team will run out on Saturday in confident mood after thrashing the Sharks 46-19 in their last match in Durban a few weeks ago, but they will have to be at their best to knock over the Bulls this time.
The Stormers will also miss a number of Springboks, including Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie and Damian Willemse.
“Let’s be honest, Loftus is a fortress, full stop. It’s such a big motivator and differentiator for the Bulls. It’s a difficult place to go and play, never mind to go and win. I loved playing at Loftus when I had the green Springbok jersey on and everybody was supporting me,” De Villiers said.
“But going there and you’re not wearing the Bulls jersey — it’s a tough task. You play at altitude and against an intimidating crowd, and you need to put that aside and play good rugby.
“It’s a fantastic place and even as a player, understanding how big the challenge was, I loved going there to play.
“This weekend, Loftus will again be a fantastic stage for the biggest rivalry in South African rugby.
“I’ll be there, watching from the stands and cheering on my Stormers. And I won’t be alone either. That little barefoot boy inside of me is still there, and still just as excited for this one big match.”
IOL Sport
