Bulls, Sharks to serve another epic at Loftus

A BULLS v Sharks knockout/playoff clash will always be one for the ages and the United Rugby Championship semi-final between the two at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday at 6.15pm, is sure serve another epic storyline.

Judging by the quarter-final scorelines, Bulls beat Edinburgh 42-33 while Sharks had to be clinical in the penalty shootout to go past Munster after a 24-24 extra time draw, there is no denying the home side a favourite's tag.

The good news for South African rugby is that Mzansi already has a team in the final.

Independent Newspapers rugbby writers Mike Greenaway and Leighton Koopman look at which side will win and why.

WHY THE BULLS WILL WIN

Leighton Koopman

As South Africa’s form side in the United Rugby Championship, boosted by home advantage and team that peaked at the right time of the year, the Bulls are in the inside lane to win the semi-final against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.

Their dominating scrum and physical forwards will give them the edge over the Sharks who had a thing of late to only arrive in the second half. While the competition at scrum time will be the perfect test of strength versus strength, it’s the Bulls’ overpowering scrum that will drive the visitors into submission.

While there is an all-Bok front row for the Sharks too, tighthead Wilco Louw has been a destroyer up front and Nche will have a hard time keeping him in check. And on the other side, the young Jan-Hendrik Wessels will stand strong against veteran Vincent Koch.

Then, the superiority of the Bulls in the lineout will outshine their opponents. Captain Ruan Nortjé will lick his lips at poaching balls but also securing them longside JF van Heerden and Cobus Wiese. The Sharks losing Eben Etzebeth and Jason Jenkins will be music to the ears of the Bulls’ lineout.

It is a risk bringing Johan Goosen back from injury and dropping him straight into the starting side, but he can pull the strings to set the backline running. Along with fullback Willie le Roux, they can open the gaps to set the likes of Canan Moodie and Sebastian de Klerk away. De Klerk and Moodie’s prowess under the high kicks, and there will be plenty up and unders coming from Goosen and scrumhalf Embrose Papier.

The Bulls’ overall gameplan, they vary their tactics way better than the Sharks, should see them be too strong for their visitors, and they will progress to another final.

WHY THE SHARKS WILL WIN

Mike Greenaway

The Sharks are a team tailor-made for high-pressure knockout games. John Plumtree has created a culture where the team loves to triumph over adversity. The Sharks have won their last six games without reaching anywhere near their potential.

They are a dogged side that enjoys pulling the contest down into the trenches for unarmed combat. It won’t worry them in the slightest that they are not scoring tries. Any way to the winner’s podium will do, and if that means leaving the cork in the champagne rugby approach, so be it.

The Bulls have been scoring an average of five tries per game at Loftus as their impressive backs cash in on the sparkling possession coming their way, but semi-finals and finals are different beasts. The pressure cranks up; defences get tighter; the aerial game is preferred to adventurous attack.

All of this suits the Sharks and their street-fighter approach. They will drag the Bulls into an arm wrestle.

This is the way the Sharks have been playing all season. In a sense, they have been playing finals rugby for most of the URC. There is also the significant fact that they have seven double World Cup-winning Springboks in their team, including four in their pack.

Even without Etzebeth and Jenkins, this is a Sharks pack that can stand up to the Bulls. Leading them is Siya Kolisi. The Springbok captain’s experience of making good decisions in the heat of battle will stand the Sharks in good stead, while his inspired move from flank to No 8 allows for Plumtree to pick a genuine fetcher in James Venter and an exceptional blindside flank in Vincent Tshituka, who was recently called up to the Springbok squad.

It means the Sharks have an underrated loose trio to go with a solid tight five, so the Sharks' backs will get their fair share of decent possession.

There is also the nagging suspicion that the Sharks’ backline could click when it matters most. There are too many superstars in that back division for cohesion to evade them much longer.