Bulls may have to adapt to Stormers surprises, says Devon Williams

Bulls fullback Devon Williams said the Bulls and Stormers know each other well, but there may be special surprises in store from their opponents come their United Rugby Championship (URC) match at Loftus on Saturday.

He also spoke of how tough it has been on the body and how difficult it was to deal with the pressure of local derbies as his side play the last in a string of four back-to-back local derbies taking place in the space of a month.

The Bulls won the first north-south derby against the Stormers by just one point (final score 33–32) after a nail-biting spectacle in Cape Town on 8 February. The Bulls dominated the scrums but made myriad errors in the second half to allow the Stormers back into the game.

Both sides kicked horribly with Bulls centre David Kriel and Stormers flyhalf Jurie Mathee each missing three kicks. Stormers replacement kicker Clayton Blommetjies had an opportunity to win the game in the dying minutes but he, too, pulled his shot wide.

The Bulls lost 29–19 to the Sharks and beat the Lions 31–19 in the two weeks since.

Stormers know Bulls are forward-dominant

Williams said the hype was greater for derbies and they were more difficult than playing overseas matches because teams knew each other’s game plans.

“It’s also guys playing together in the Springbok team so everyone knows a little bit more about the opposition than the international teams. It’s much more personal.”

Williams also reasoned that while local teams knew each other well, game plans could change. So teams needed to be adaptable.

“They [the Stormers] know we are forward-dominant so they are going to focus on how they are going to stop our scrum and maul.

“Looking at the Sharks game they will see we struggled under the high ball. Maybe that is a facet where they will try and target us. Otherwise, probably they will look at making the game fast.”

But things may change on the day. “They may come with a surprise play so it is about going out and adapting and taking control of the game.”

Consecutive derbies are hard on the body as well

Director of rugby Jake White has previously spoken about the impact their demanding schedule has had on players.

He said he was not complaining about it but he had to deal with it as a coach. He had to learn how to balance player rotation with keeping combinations and dealing with the pressure of winning every game.

For his part, 32-year-old Williams said “playing four derbies [in a row] doesn’t do the body any favours”.

After all this, the fullback argued there are international games that are as mentally big for players as any local derby.

He said if the Bulls were to play Leinster, who have won the tournament more times than any other (eight) and who the Bulls have beaten twice in the semi-finals, and Glasgow, who beat the Bulls in the URC final at Loftus last season, they would also consider those derbies because they are high-pressure games with history behind them.