Bulls v Lions: Has the cross-Jukskei derby lost its lustre?

The Bulls and Lions go head to head in their United Rugby Championship (URC) cross-Jukskei derby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon, with little fanfare leading up to the game.

What is a famous match-up in South African rugby history, between the two Gauteng rivals, seems to have lost its lustre over the years and has become just another game between local rivals.

ALSO READ: Lions bracing for physical battle against ‘dangerous’ Bulls

That could be down to how neither side has been at their best when facing each other over the past few decades, with the Lions going through a difficult patch, followed by the Bulls struggling and then back over to the Lions again.

During the Bulls’ dominance of Super Rugby in the Super 14 era between 2006 and 2010, where they won three of the five titles, the Lions were dismal finishing in the bottom three on the log in all five of those seasons, including finishing bottom twice.

When the Lions finally managed to become SA’s top side, making three straight Super Rugby finals from 2016-2018, it was the Bulls’ turn to crash, with them finishing ninth, 15^th and 12^th over those seasons.

Same level

In recent times with the Bulls rising back up, the Lions have slipped down and since neither has been on the same level in a long time that will have taken away from the contest.

Lions captain Marius Louw was even asked during a press conference in the week if the Jukskei derby still made the hairs stand up on the back of the players’ necks and although his response was diplomatic, it wasn’t exactly filled with excitement.

“I think it’s always entertaining when Gauteng comes together for the Jukskei derby. It’s always lovely and I am really looking forward to it,” said Louw.

The current headlining derby in SA rugby is undoubtedly the clash between the Stormers and Bulls which has gone on to reach new heights in the URC.

Although the Stormers have dominated the Bulls over the past three seasons, winning all seven meetings between the two, it is still by far the most popular local derby, with around 40,000 fans turning up for their most recent encounter at the Cape Town Stadium this past December.