Photo Credit: Speedshots.co.za
The Vodacom Bulls will host their southern neighbours, the Xerox Lions, in Pretoria in the first semi-final at 14h00 on Saturday. The log-leaders from Pretoria will be guaranteed of a home final at Loftus Versfeld, their first since 2009 if they succeed in recording their second victory in three weeks against the Xerox Lions. A win for the Xerox Lions, however, will hand the winner between DHL WP and the Cell C Sharks a home final.
In the event of teams being level on the scoreboard at the end of the regular 80 minutes of play, 20 minutes of extra time will be played, two stanzas of 10 minutes each with the side in the lead on the scoreboard advancing to the final. If the teams are still level, the side that progresses to the final will be determined by the most tries in the match, and then the highest log position following the completion of the pool rounds.
There will be no love lost between the Vodacom Bulls and the Xerox Lions when they meet on Saturday in their Carling Cup semi-final at Loftus Versfeld, and their close encounter three weeks ago is expected to fuel their motivation.
Battles in the front row and on the ground will be vital in determining the winners. The Bulls' struggled to find a capable replacement for Trevor Nyakane at tighthead and after a failed experiments with Marcel vd Merwe, opted for Mornay Smith. Smith is a very good scrummager but will be tested by inform Ruan Dreyer. This decision by Jake White could be the difference between winning or losing.
At the back, the tactical decision or lack thereof by both sides' halfbacks will also be very important. The Xerox Lions maybe more often the sinners in making "bad" decisions. Expect a very close battle with a split second of brilliance to be the difference.
The prospect of a home final, the desire to earn a memorable double after winning the Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked competition, and back-to-back wins against their Gauteng rivals will drive the Vodacom Bulls, but the Xerox Lions have a score to settle after losing by seven points in their last match.
The encounters between these sides have been balanced in the last few years, with the men from Pretoria winning five of their last nine Carling Currie Cup games, four of which were at Loftus Versfeld and given the high stakes this weekend, neither team will give an inch.
Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White named a full-strength squad with David Kriel (fullback), Cornal Hendricks and Stedman Gans (centres) back in action.
Kurt-Lee Arendse is set to continue his attacking form on the right-wing while Ivan van Zyl and Morné Steyn continue with their halfback pairing as the latter celebrates a ton of provincial matches for the Vodacom Bulls.
Steyn's contributions to the Vodacom Bulls at the provincial level has been one of dedication and loyalty with all his appearances have been in the light blue jersey.
His 76 Carling Currie Cup caps alongside 18 Vodacom Cup appearances coupled with five sanctioned friendlies is testament to not only his immense talent but also his professionalism.
Amongst the forwards, Duane Vermeulen resumes the captaincy and will man the back of the scrum alongside Elrigh Louw and Marco van Staden as blindside and openside flank respectively.
Sintu Manjezi has been named at no.4 lock while his partner Ruan Nortje continues in his role as lineout coordinator in the no.5 jumper.
The young yet incredibly talented Schalk Erasmus will have the confidence knowing that his role at hooker will be aided by two Springbok props in Lizo Gqoboka and Trevor Nyakane.
The bench is littered with players who have given their all when called upon and this weekend's finishers is no different with Arno Botha, Jacques van Rooyen, Embrose Papier and Chris Smith set to provide vitally important fresh legs in a crucial match.
"We have reached the business end of the Carling Currie Cup and I must commend our entire squad on getting us to this point. Every player in our ranks has contributed to our cause with enthusiasm and a never say die attitude," said White.
"Focusing on this weekend has been in our minds for the last two weeks and we have done all we can in terms of preparation. We know how to win and we have to just that against a team that has pushed us each time we've played them," he added.
The Xerox Lions included six Springboks in their starting team and two more on their extended bench, with Jantjies leading the team into battle.
The backline has a familiar feel to it, with Burger Odendaal (centre) linking up with the hot-stepping Wandisile Simelane, while Andre Warner got the nod at scrumhalf.
Ivan van Rooyen (head coach) opted for the Rugby World Cup-winning experience of Jannie du Plessis in the front row alongside experienced hooker Jaco Visagie and Sti Sithole (prop), while Jaco Kriel (flanker) will partner up with Len Massyn (No 8) and Vincent Tshituka (flanker) in the loose trio.
Here is what some of their players and coaches said in the week building up to the game:
Burger Odendaal: “It is going to be a physical clash, so whoever dominates the contact and wins the set piece will be on the front foot.”
Warren Whiteley: “The margins are going to be small and it’s going to come down to those small moments. We look forward to that and look forward to the challenge.”
Jannie du Plessis: “Now the onus is on us is to loosen the shackles and to jol.”
Ivan van Rooyen: “The conditions will certainly be a factor in how we approach and execute this match and we will have to put more pressure on them defensively than we did in our last encounter.”
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls: 15 David Kriel, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Lizo Gqoboka. Replacements: 16 Schalk Erasmus, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jan Uys, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.
Xerox Lions: 15 Tiaan Swanepoel, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies (captain), 9 André Warner, 8 Len Massyn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole. Replacements (from): 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Dan Kriel, 23 Francke Horn, 24 Nathan McBeth, 25 EW Viljoen, 26 Ross Cronjé.