United Rugby Championship: Stormers ready for whichever Bulls side shows up for the north-south derby

Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani insists the team is ready for any Bulls team that runs out on Friday in the north-south derby in Cape Town.

Bulls boss Jake White split his squad between the Champions Cup and the United Rugby Champions, resting several high-profile stars over the last two weeks to target the derby this weekend.

Crucial clash

The two sides are the frontrunners for the South African shield making the derby even more important in the context of the competition.

Hlungwani admits the Stormers do not know which Bulls side will take to the field this weekend but claims the defending champions will be ready for the clash.

“We are not sure,” Hlungwani said. “It could be anything.

“It could be them just wanting a different group of players to experience the Champions League and then a different team to experience the URC.

“From our side, we have no idea. I’m not sure if they are resting players for this game. We don’t know what’s going to run out of the tunnel on Friday, but we just need to make sure we are ready to face whatever comes out.”

Sticking to the process

Hlungwani insists the Stormers are happy with their plans and need to remain confident in their processes.

“We will have to wait and see on Friday. People have their own plans. We have our own plans. The Bulls have their own plans,” said Hlungwani.

“We back our plans. We will just have to see on the day which approach works. We are comfortable and confident with how we have prepared over the past couple of weeks. It wasn’t just about the game on Friday. It’s a long-term plan that we’ve stuck by. “

Springbok Salmaan Moerat was wheeled off the field by a medical cart with an injury against London Irish last weekend, and Hlungwani believes that despite the big loss, the Stormers have the depth to deal with the loss.

“[Moerat] is a big loss,” Hlungwani said. “It is never easy when we lose a Springbok player.

“Salmaan does really well for us, but it is a part of rugby. Even though we can’t play Salmaan, there are guys who are ready and willing to take the opportunity to wear that No 4 jersey and, hopefully, put their hands up so when Salmaan does come back, he will have to fight for it.

“I think we have enough depth. Connor [Evans] did well when he was sent on, and we have guys like Simon Miller and Ben-Jason Dixon. Gary is also training. So there is going to be a good opportunity for someone to seize and provide good competition.”

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