The Currie Cup, Super Rugby in all its various incarnations, and latterly the United Rugby Championship (URC), have served as different stages over the years for teams with changing names. But the one thing they have had in common is to provide a platform for South Africa’s finest rugby players to thrive.

This weekend sees that tradition continue when the Bulls host the Stormers at Loftus and the Lions welcome the Sharks to Ellis Park in a salivating double header.

To add to the subplots, Bok wing Sbu Nkosi will start for the Bulls a little more than two months after a mental health break.

The Bulls also welcome back director of rugby Jake White who had an operation for intestine issues, while they also have the incentive of winning their first URC game against the Stormers.

The Stormers have won four matches in this competition against the Bulls, including the 2022 final by 18-13 at Cape Town Stadium. But that counts for little as Stormers coach John Dobson said he expected a big backlash at Loftus.

Leolin Zas of the Stormers runs in to score a try against Cardiff Rugby at Cardiff Arms Park on 22 October 2022. (Photo: Chris Fairweather / Huw Evans Agency / Gallo Images)

“It is a given that we must match the intensity of our great rivals up north, and we must match it from the outset. This comes through attitude,” Dobson noted.

“We must make our tackles, and we must play with accuracy and intelligence. When playing at altitude, game management is always definitive to getting a positive result.

“Personally, and this is meant with no disrespect to any other South African franchise, but it doesn’t get bigger as an occasion than visiting Loftus and playing a Bulls team that will be charged emotionally and motivated to giving Jake (White) the warmest of returns, after his recent absence recovering from surgery.

“We did the league double over them last season, away and then at home, and edged them in the final. Those were three incredibly close matches, and there was a one-score difference on all three occasions.”

For the Bulls, despite the mounting scar tissue, there is still a sense of confidence about the encounter. Three of those four Stormers defeats have been in Cape Town, while they haven’t lost a game at Loftus since February 2022. With an expected 40,000-plus crowd, it will be an intimidating afternoon for the Stormers.

On paper there are more established players in the Bulls squad, as both sides are required to rest key contracted Springboks during this period. The Bulls are fourth on the standings and the Stormers second, adding to the sense of importance of the match.

In Bok No 8 Elrigh Louw, the Bulls have a potential match winner, while veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn will run out for his 150th appearance for the Bulls.

The Stormers’ Ernst van Rhyn is tackled by James Botham of Cardiff at Cardiff Arms Park on 22 October 2022. (Photo: Chris Fairweather / Huw Evans Agency / Gallo Images)

Louw will be a key figure in the match though. He has made more metres in contact than any other player this season (150) and the third-most successful carries overall (64), crossing the gain-line 11 times (joint top) in round 13 for a success rate of 68.75%.

Alongside him in the Bulls pack is impressive lock Ruan Nortje. He has played more minutes than any other player in the league (1,030), missing just 10 minutes of URC rugby so far this season.

The 24-year-old Nortje has also made more clear-outs than any other player (67), lies fifth on the tackle chart (122) and is a prolific source of lineout ball.

The Stormers bounced back from a 35-5 round-13 thumping at the hands of Ulster by winning 46-19 away to the Sharks in a rearranged fixture at the beginning of the month.

They ran in six tries in Durban, including one from flyhalf Manie Libbok who claimed a 21-point match haul to strengthen his position as the league’s top scorer (121).

Lions need to roar

It’s been a rough period for the Lions with four defeats in a row, which included a 37-10 thrashing against this weekend’s opponents the Sharks last December.

The Sharks are eighth on the standings and in play-off contention with a game in hand, while the Lions languish in 13th and will need a small miracle to make the postseason. To achieve that they have to win this weekend.

Read in Daily Maverick: “High-flying South African sides shift gear and focus to URC”

Both sides will be counting on their bulldozing inside centres to provide momentum – on both the field and the league table – in Saturday’s derby.

Despite being schooled in Pretoria and representing the Bulls youth team, the Sharks’ Rohan Janse van Rensburg made his name as a Lion, joining the pride in 2015 and making his full debut a year later.

Tipping the scales at a hefty 108kg, Janse van Rensburg formed a successful midfield partnership with Lionel Mapoe, a combination that was pivotal in the Lions’ success in 2016.

A first call-up to the Springbok squad for Janse van Rensburg soon followed and, later that year, he earned his one and only Test cap, against Wales in Cardiff.

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The continued recognition of Damian de Allende and Jan Serfontein’s defensive fortitude blocked Janse van Rensburg’s climb up the Springbok pecking order and after an initial loan spell with Sale Sharks, he made his move to Manchester permanent in 2018.

While a move abroad meant that Janse van Rensburg fell off the radar in South Africa, he continued to grow his game in England.

However, the Sharks’ search for a power centre to partner Lukhanyo Am resulted in Janse van Rensburg’s return to South Africa last year.

Plans to launch the midfield combination have been mostly grounded by Am suffering a knee injury and Janse van Rensburg’s early-season suspension, but they have wreaked havoc whenever paired.

“I was definitely intrigued by the Sharks,” Janse van Rensburg said of his decision to return to South Africa. “The fact that Eben Etzebeth signed, Siya Kolisi signed and Lukhanyo extended, made me look at the franchise as one I wanted to be part of.

“I was very intrigued to see what the Sharks could offer, especially because of the move to the URC and the extended opportunity in playing in other competitions in Europe.

Deon Fourie of the Stormers in action against Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee in Cape Town on 18 June 2022. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Nic Bothma)

Henco Venter of the Sharks wins a lineout from Alan O’Connor of Ulster at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on 20 May 2022. (Photo: Brendan Moran / Sportsfile / Gallo Images)

“It is exciting to be part of a squad that is so developed and experienced. They make it look easy when you’re playing with them. The amount of knowledge in our backline meetings would make some people’s heads explode.”

The 2021 acquisition of Ben Tapuai coupled with Janse van Rensburg’s move to the Sharks last season ate into current Lions centre Marius Louw’s playing time in Durban.

Until that point, the Bloemfontein-born player had spent his entire professional career in Durban, representing the union from under-19 level and making his senior professional debut in 2017.

Having come through the schools ranks as an openside flanker, Louw was 19 when he switched to centre and he has since emerged as a brutal breakdown threat in the backline.

But with dwindling opportunities to start, Louw answered the call to join the Lions who were looking for a replacement for former captain Burger Odendaal.

“Coming here I knew the Lions play an exciting brand of rugby and I could see myself fitting in nicely. I’m super-excited about what lies ahead,” he said.

The 27-year-old has hit the ground running in his first season in Johannesburg, replacing Odendaal in the No 12 jersey and taking over the captaincy in the absence of injured lock Reinhard Nothnagel.

Partnered with Henco van Wyk, who many consider to be a long-term contender for the Springbok No 13 jersey, Louw has offered a youthful Lions side direction and leadership.

The centre showdown is sure to be decisive in determining control of the gain-line, and Louw and Janse van Rensburg will thunder into contact with the tenacity of two men determined to prove they are the most indispensable. DM