Stormers quite 'happy' ahead of North-South derby

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Friday's much-anticipated north-south derby between the Stormers and Bulls has been taken to a whole new level.

There is no love lost between the Stormers and the Bulls, and given last season's United Rugby Championship final, where the Stormers walked away with the trophy, the encounter is personal.

Furthermore, the match could determine the winner of the South African Shield.

The teams are currently locked together in second place with 34 log points, however, the Stormers have a game in hand.

In preparation for the fixture, the Bulls have been resting most of their first-choice players for the last two weeks of the Champions Cup.

This a clear indication that Bulls director of Rugby Jake White might be out to avenge last season's final defeat and conclude the year as South Africa's No.1 side.

Unlike the Bulls, Stormers management have been eager to field their strongest possible side in the Champions Cup.

In the opening round, they suffered a defeat but bounce back in Round two with an impressive win over London Irish at the Cape Town stadium.

For one side it was all about resting their top players, while for the Stormers momentum and confidence were the key goals.

When asked about the different approaches, Stormers forward coach Rito Hlungwani revealed only time will tell which one will reap the rewards.

"We have our own plans and the Bulls have their own plan, we back ours and they back theirs, so we just have to see on Friday," Hlungwani said.

"We are coming off a win, so we are very confident and happy with how we have planned the last couple of weeks.

"Think it was not just about this weekend's game it is about our long-term plan as well."

He added: "I'm not really sure what the plan is behind Bulls' decision, but we just have to make sure we are prepared for anything that comes out of the tunnel on Friday."

The forwards' mentor also confirmed that Salmaan Moerat will miss this Friday's clash after he sustained a knee injury.

However, he was a bit more upbeat regarding Leolin Zas and Ruhan Nel's injuries.

Hlungwani revealed that there is a good chance that the duo could be available for the north-south derby.

“The only big challenge is around Salmaan. He has a knee injury," Hlungwani said.

"Doctors are looking at him and still have to give us a final diagnosis, but it isn’t looking good there and Salmaan definitely won’t be playing against the Bulls.

“However Zassie and Ruhan were running around at training on [Monday] so I don’t think the injuries were bad enough to stop them from being in the selection mix for this weekend’s game.

"Obviously because they went off with an injury, their training was adjusted.

"Whether they play or not will depend on how they come through, so I suppose you could say it is still up in the air, but it looks good.”