Vodacom Bulls prop Mornay Smith is ready for another bruising challenge against the Sharks when the teams tussle in a Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby on Saturday.

On the back of a derby defeat to the DHL Stormers in Cape Town, the Bulls will look to get back on track with a win over the Sharks on New Year’s Eve in Durban.

The Bulls suffered a fourth straight loss to the Stormers last week, but a positive for the men from Pretoria to take from the match was how they pressured the Capetonians in the scrums.

The likes of Smith stood up against a Springbok front row of Frans Malherbe, Joseph Dweba and Steven Kitshoff, and the 25-year-old is keen to do the same when he packs down against Bok heavyweights Thomas du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche at Kings Park.

BY THE NUMBERS: Sharks vs Bulls

Speaking in a Bulls media conference this week, the tighthead prop told reporters: “The scrum is never perfect and you always learn from different opponents, even the teams from overseas and from our own SA front rows.

“You have Frans, Steven, Ox and Thomas who are wonderful props and are the best at the moment, so you always try to get there where they are.

“In the scrum, you always get different pictures and opportunities, and you try to work with what you have back your system.

“It’s going to be a very different challenge, even though both are Springbok front rows, but we always have a plan and hopefully we can pull it off.

“The scrum is always physical but also a technical thing, so it depends on what your opponent shows you [on the day] and how you adapt to it.”

Smith played for the SA A on the November tour to the UK and given the taste of having represented his country, the former SA Schools star wants to achieve even higher honours.

“In four years’ time I hopefully see myself definitely in the [Bok] squad. It would be nice to see myself in the squad, it has always been a dream of mine,” he added.

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