Saturday's URC final will be the two finalists’ fifth URC encounter, both sides having won two games each with a finely poised contest between the potent attacking force of the Stormers and the physical dominance of the Bulls on the horizon.
The Final’s hosts, the Stormers have been on a roll - winning their last 10 URC matches, their last five against South African rivals and with their one home defeat in Cape Town this season coming in the first game of the their URC campaign to fellow South African franchise Emirates Lions in early December 2021. Their opponents, the Vodacom Bulls only loss in their last 11 URC games was 17-19 to the Stormers on April 9th.
The Bulls will be keeping an eye on the Stormers backline and none more so than Leolin Zas who won the season’s Top Try Scorer in the URC Awards but Bulls' Marcell Coetzee pulled level with him on 11 by touching down in the Final Four victory over Leinster.
Former Wales and Cardiff international centre Tom Shanklin believes to have a South African winner of the URC will shake things up in Northern Hemisphere rugby which ‘can only be good. He said: “Adding the South African teams has really improved the league, they’ve really increased the levels and standards in the latter part of the competition.
“I know a lot of people will say you're not getting any away support in the South African fixtures and I get that to an extent because sometimes what's great about games, especially the derbies, is the home and away support. But what you get on the pitch is better and you need to play against good teams to work out where you are, how you are developing, where the improvements are and the level you need to play at - and you only find that out by playing quality teams.
“It also gives rugby fans, players, coaches and pundits watching more of an insight into South African rugby as well. So when Wales do play South Africa in the summer they'll have more of an idea of players’ form going into it - they will have seen the rising stars in South Africa coming through.
“The likes of Canan Moodie, Manie Libbok at the Stormers – so many good players coming through and so much pace. That's been the biggest difference I’ve noticed, the South African teams just have pace - their back threes, are all electric. But every single player that plays that field has got pure pace; we have fast people in Wales, and in the Northern Hemisphere. But every single player there is absolutely dynamite on their feet.
“It’s really good to watch them. And it's the variety as well, they find different ways to break down teams. They've all got their own niches too - the Bulls are really strong up front, Stormers, and the Sharks are so creative behind. You’ve got players like Cornal Hendricks who has really come into this last quarter of the league. He's been good all the way through, but he scored a hat trick against the Ospreys, and a couple of tries the week after, so he's a player in form. There’s Madosh Tambwe on the wing as well. There are so many players in the South African teams that have got try scoring ability - just because they've got pure pace.”