The Vodacom Bulls will be looking to maintain their 100% winning record against the Cheetahs in Super Rugby on Saturday. The visitors have not lost in Bloemfontein and another clean sheet would keep them undefeated in the competition.
According to the website rugby365.co.za the Cheetahs targeted a winning start and the ability to close out tight games as key to their campaign, so losing out to the Lions in the last ten minutes last week would have been particularly painful.
The Free State side will be even more desperate to win this weekend as it is both their first home game and the last before they go on tour.
The Cheetahs were punished heavily by the accurate boot of Elton Jantjies last week and they will be wary of suffering the same fate at the hands of metronomic goal-kicker Morne Steyn on Saturday, so discipline will be the watchword for coach Naka Drotske's men.
The Bulls were impressive last week in the way that they managed to squeeze the life out of the Sharks, but they will be keen to show that their high pressure game can get them over the tryline as well.
Both packs will want to stamp their authority on the match, with the Cheetahs especially keen to bounce back from the line-out lesson the Bulls gave them in pre-season, but the key match-ups are likely to come in the backlines.
At flyhalf Springbok incumbent Steyn will be put to the test by young Johan Goosen who many believe is a more rounded player than the Bulls stalwart, while the battle for the high ball between Bjorn Basson and the Cheetahs outside backs could also prove decisive.
Recent results:
2011: Bulls won 32-21 in Pretoria
2011: Bulls won 25-23 in Bloemfontein
2010: Bulls won 51-34 in Bloemfontein
2009: Bulls won 29-20 in Pretoria
2008: Bulls won 60-20 in Bloemfontein
Prediction (rugby365.co.za): This will be another typically intense South African derby, and with both teams likely to keep things fairly conservative at first it should go right down to the wire. The Cheetahs have the players to break the game wide open and will be determined to produce the goods in front of their home crowd but the Bulls' control should see them edge this one by about two points.
Teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Rocco Jansen, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Philip Snyman, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Tewis de Bruyn, 8 Davon Raubenheimer, 7 Philip van der Walt, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Lourens Adriaanse, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Cameron Jacobs.
Vodacom Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referees: Marius Jonker, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Johann Meuwesen