The Stormers remember the struggles of their scrum in Cape Town last month when they lost to the Bulls for the first time at home in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
With those memories in mind, tighthead prop Neethling Fouché and Ali Vermaak were included in the starting team as significant reinforcements ahead of the second North vs South Derby in Pretoria.
Loftus Versfeld will welcome the inaugural URC winners (5pm kick-off), with the Capetonians desperate for a victory.
They have only won one game on the road this campaign, and must win at least two of their next three away duels to have a chance at making the playoffs.
“We started well in the scrums this season and then the Bulls got us in Cape Town, that took a lot out of the team,” Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said on Friday.
“Going backwards in the scrum takes a lot out of your morale and energy. It was our poorest performance, and we are a good scrummaging team.
“We also have a great scrum record this season, looking at the penalties. So, we are (still) in a good position.
“What happened in Cape Town was not our standard, and we saw all sorts of reasons why it happened. That is probably our focus point (for this game).
“Yes, we could probably say that the missed conversion lost us the game, but a lot of damage was done in the scrums.
“That has been a huge focus point.”
Here is your DHL Stormers team for the @Vodacom #URC Origin Round match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
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Another critical thing the Stormers must fix is bagging a win away from home.
After the Bulls clash, they will play two more matches overseas before a run of home games will bring their round-robin season to an end.
While they are targeting success at the DHL Stadium, they must clinch a couple more victories away from their fortress to put them in a position to make the top eight.
“We have some unwanted records this season,” Dobson added.
He referred to a first-ever loss to the Sharks in the URC (in Durban), a first-ever loss to the Bulls in Cape Town, and a maiden loss to the Lions at Ellis Park.
Couple that with three losses overseas so far, and it paints a bleak picture of their season.
They believe Loftus could be the perfect place to turn things around.
The Bulls-Stormers rivalry always delivers 🍿
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) February 28, 2025
Loftus plays host to an epic #VURC derby this Saturday during #OriginRound.
Can the DHL Stormers get their revenge? Or will the Vodacom Bulls do the double?
📺 Kick-off set for 17:00, LIVE on SuperSport. pic.twitter.com/acekSeXzGt
“We have to win more in the northern hemisphere and more games in a row. It is tricky to put my finger on it... Our process is solid, according to the stats, but we are not getting the outcome. It is a concern for us,” Dobson said.
“This time last year, we were ninth on the log. We are 10th at the moment. We are known for our home charges (towards the end of the season), but we will cause much less stress if we win our games on the road.
“I knew the local derbies would be tougher because of the investment the teams have made.
“With the Scarlets and Ulster coming up, we must get wins there. Otherwise, we won’t get to where we want to as a club.”
An SA derby that always produces fireworks 🎆
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) February 27, 2025
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That place they want to be is in the top eight to qualify for the knockouts and for next season’s Champions Cup.
A morale-boosting victory over the Bulls could be the spark to get them back to winning ways on the road. It will also share the derby spoils between the sides for the year.
Currently 10th, the Stormers are only three points off the eighth-placed Scarlets, and a win at Loftus should keep them in touch with them.
It will also give the Cape side much-needed momentum when they head to Llanelli later this month to face the Welsh club, looking to leapfrog them on the log.
Stormers Team
15 Warrick Gelant 14 Ben Loader 13 Wandisile Simelane 12 Dan du Plessis 11 Leolin Zas 10 Jurie Matthee 9 Stefan Ungerer 8 Evan Roos 7 Ben-Jason Dixon 6 Deon Fourie 5 Ruben van Heerden 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain) 3 Neethling Fouché 2 Joseph Dweba 1 Ali Vermaak.
Bench: 16 André-Hugo Venter 17 Brok Harris 18 Frans Malherbe 19 Gary Porter 20 Marcel Theunissen 21 Willie Engelbrecht 22 Paul de Wet 23 Jonathan Roche.