Cape Town – The Blue Bulls have gone for a full-strength URC side, while Western Province have mixed things up for Friday night’s Currie Cup showdown at Loftus Versfeld (7.05pm kickoff).
But have Jake White and John Dobson made the right calls?
Here are five key player match-ups that may decide the result…
1 Quewin Nortjé v Ruhan Nel
Apparently Nortjé is the quickest player in the Bulls squad… That takes some doing, considering the presence of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Sbu Nkosi.
But the youngster also played first-team cricket for Affies, so is clearly a serious sporting talent. Will he get the ball, though? The Bulls pack need to win enough possession to bring Nortjé into the game, and then he will face one of the best defenders in Nel, who is playing out wide instead of at centre.
Nel will be sure to run hard at Nortjé too, and the high-ball contest will also be interesting to watch.
2 Sbu Nkosi v Suleiman Hartzenberg
The fact that Nkosi was invited to the Springbok training camp last week proves that he is still in the World Cup selection mix. But the 27-year-old needs to make a big statement soon if he wants to feature in France, and a good start would be on Friday.
The Bulls are still reeling from the Pumas defeat, and need senior players like Nkosi to stand up.
Hartzenberg, though, is a wonderful prodigy who is equally comfortable at centre and wing. The Bishops product has been lethal whenever he has the ball, but will have to be sharp in defence against the powerful Nkosi.
3 Zak Burger v Paul de Wet
Which scrumhalf will be able to set the tempo for their team’s respective attacks? Burger has been the first-choice Bulls No 9 and grown in confidence this season, but still makes the odd questionable decision with ball-in-hand. He needs to back himself more often and engage the defence around the fringes, while his box-kicks must be pinpoint.
De Wet hasn’t quite matched his form from last season, but has fond memories of Loftus Versfeld after scoring the winning try against the Bulls in January 2022. The quick surface suits his style as he enjoys having a go himself, but it will be a fine balance between serving the backline and using the boot.
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4 Cyle Brink v Willie Engelbrecht
If you want to see two heavyweight boxers on a rugby field, look no further than these two blindside flanks. Brink is the big ball-carrier who wants to punch holes in the defence, and Engelbrecht a defensive predator who aims to line up his opponents and drill them back.
Both will try to get over the advantage line, but maybe a bit of skill and a couple of offloads in the tackle could be the point of difference for either player…
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5 Ruan Nortjé v Connor Evans
The Bulls skipper was the best No 5 lock in last year’s URC, but has not reached the same heights this season. Taking over the captaincy from Marcell Coetzee – who is in Japan – might have something to do with that, but maybe this will be the game for Nortjé to re-establish his dominance in the air.
Evans turned 21 in January, but is highly rated by John Dobson as a lineout operator and in general play. Could this be the game where Evans comes of age at a senior level?
IOL Sport