Christmas fever on hold for Stormers and Bulls

There won’t be much Christmas spirit sweeping through the Stormers and Bulls camps this week, with both sides focusing on Saturday’s United Rugby Championship derby in Cape Town.

The move to the Northern Hemisphere competitions has introduced rugby in summer to SA, which is still a bit foreign to the local fraternity.

It has taken some getting used to for fans but it is part of the transition to European rugby.

‘Normal work week’

This has not been an issue, however, for the Stormers. The holiday spirit has not been a distraction as they are laser-focused on the job at hand, which is toppling their rivals from Pretoria.

“We have gotten used to it,” said Stormers attack coach Dawie Snyman when asked about playing during the festive season.

“For us, it feels like a normal work week. I know a lot of people are on holiday, but for us it’s a great occasion to be playing. I think it’s going to be a cracker, so we are looking forward to it.”

Crowd attendance at the stadiums has come under criticism during this period, as getting people through the gates has been tough with many on holiday.

Big crowd for the derby

Cape Town is one of the tourist attraction hubs as it has plenty to offer, and rugby has had to compete with other holiday festivities.

But there have been over 30,000 tickets sold so far, and Snyman is hoping the number will increase.

“We are lucky; we have great supporters and people that come to watch our games. We want to play a brand that excites people and one that will make them come to watch. I think there will be quite a crowd, and it’s always exciting to play in front of the faithful,” he said.

Bulls coach Jake White says the North-South derby will always be a massive draw on the South African rugby calendar.

“It’s always been a big game, North vs South. Whether it’s Christmas time or June, it’s irrelevant, it’s going to be big. It’s a talking point of our calendar.” White said.