Stormers vs Bulls: Tussle of tramline titans

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Ahead of the first north-south derby in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in Cape Town, DEVIN HERMANUS previews the back-three showdown between the Stormers and Vodacom Bulls on Saturday.

Warrick Gelant vs Kurt-Lee Arendse

Gelant leads the charge for the Stormers in the URC for metres gained (583), which speaks to a scoring threat that has yielded two tries thus far. But it’s the Springbok utility back’s distribution skills that the Bulls need to watch out for – he has the second-most offloads in the competition (27), ironically just two behind Bulls skipper Marcell Coetzee.

The scrumcapped Arendse, whose pace and opportunism likens him to Gio Aplon and Cheslin Kolbe, is tied for the most clean breaks in the URC (17), and is fifth for most defenders beaten (35). His quick feet – and eye for an intercept – have also helped notch five tries.

Seabelo Senatla vs Madosh Tambwe

Senatla is tied for the second-most tries in the tournament with eight touchdowns, yet has shown a steely element to his game making him even more effective. The former Blitzbok flyer has an 81% tackle success rate in the URC, and topped the Stormers’ tackle count (14) in their hard-fought win over Irish side Ulster.

But the speedster will be up against an equally formidable Tambwe, who produced a brilliant finish to score his fifth try of the season in a bonus-point victory over Ulster. The DRC-born wing has matched Arendse for linebreaks while clocking a mammoth 813m, as well as beaten 41 defenders. It’s no surprise Bulls boss Jake White is desperate to thwart Tambwe’s likely move to France. 

Leolin Zas vs Canan Moodie

Having gone through what he has described as a “dark period” in his career, Zas has epitomised the Stormers’ stylish brand of rugby in 2022. The No 11 crossed the whitewash twice in Saturday’s triumph over Ospreys – the Capetonians’ fifth successive win in as many matches at home – to go top for most tries scored in the URC (9). His 14 linebreaks also puts him fourth for defensive breaches.

Moodie’s one try and meager overall statistics pale in comparison to the aforementioned company, yet the 19-year-old has started five of his seven matches played for the Bulls, so he clearly has the trust of White down the tramlines.

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Devin Hermanus