Ludeke: 'No mercy at Newlands'
When the Stormers and Bulls go head-to-head in their opening match of the Super 14 at Newlands on Saturday, it will be a clash as titanic as any of their previous 10 showdowns.
When the Stormers and Bulls go head-to-head in their opening match of the Super 14 at Newlands on Saturday, it will be a clash as titanic as any of their previous 10 showdowns.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke knows that, as defending champions, his team will be the target of every other side in the competition.
However, Saturday's Newlands encounter has some added spice – it is the traditional North-South derby and the biggest domestic game in South Africa.
Taking on the new-look Stormers – under the guidance of new coach Rassie Erasmus – will be a tall order in itself. And the venue, Newlands, is a hurdle few teams manage to clear.
Ludeke readily acknowledges that the Stormers will show his team “no mercy”, but he is convinced his team is up for the challenge.
“We are looking forward to the trip [to Newlands],” Ludeke said about Saturday's Round One fixture.
“It is always a great game and a great occasion when the Bulls and Stormers meet,” he said of the encounter that almost always draw a near capacity crowd.
“There's always a big hype around the game and it [Newlands] is a great arena to play in … an unbelievable stadium,” the Bulls coach said, adding that the “tradition and history” of games between the two sides is what makes it such a great occasion.
Even though the Bulls have won their last three encounters with the Stormers by record margins – 49-12 in Pretoria last year, 43-10 in Cape Town the year before and 75-14 at Loftus Versfeld in 2005 – Ludeke is adamant that those results will have no bearing on Saturday's showdown.
Before that the Stormers had a seven-year unbeaten run against the Bulls.
The Bulls coach said every game should be judged on its merit, despite the obvious history between the two sides.
“The game [between the Stormers and Bulls] always produces great rugby and there's no mercy from either side,” Ludeke said.
“This is the big domestic game of the year and we are preparing for a really tough encounter with the Stormers.”
He admitted the fact that both teams will have new coaches this year – Ludeke has replaced Heyneke Meyer and Rassie Erasmus has taken over from Kobus van der Merwe – there will be certain unknown factors that both teams will have to deal with.
“Just like us they also have new ideas and a new coach.
“That means there will be renewed energy and a new strategy,” he said, again adding that his team expects a massive onslaught from a motivated Stormers team.
By Jan de Koning