Stormers v Bulls: Sti Sithole excited about taking on URC’s best, Wilco Louw

Stormers prop Sti Sithole is relishing a scrum battle against “the best scrumming tighthead” in the United Rugby Championship (URC) with him set to front up against Bulls prop Wilco Louw during their North-South derby at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Sithole has enjoyed a run in the Stormers‘ match 23 over the last three games, making two starts in the Champions Cup and playing off the bench in their URC defeat against Leinster, and he is excited to get another run this weekend.

If he gets a start he will likely come head to head with Bok prop Louw, which will make for an enticing battle, and Sithole says the pack is hoping to produce a similar forward effort to the one when the Bulls last visited Cape Town, with them giving a very good account of themselves.

Best tighthead

“Wilco is probably the best scrumming tighthead in this comp. So it is going to be a massive challenge for us. But we have prepped well and we are really looking forward to the challenge on Saturday,” said Sithole.

“Hopefully we can produce a similar performance to that (previous home game against Bulls last season) here on the weekend. We work hard on our set piece. We know they are a very set-piece driven team, so we are aiming to target, and match it, or even better it.

“The Bulls are a big physical South African side and it is a huge derby. So it is going to be a physical one and we are all looking forward to it.”

Sithole started his career at the Stormers before moving to the Lions where he played for a number of years, and returned to his boyhood club ahead of the start of last season’s URC.

However, he has found game time limited due to a dreadful run of injuries that have stunted his progress, as well as a very competitive department that features veterans Ali Vermaak and Brok Harris, as well as the injured Steven Kitshoff among others, challenging for his position.

Progressing well

“I think I have been progressing well recently, especially after my latest injury. It hasn’t been ideal, it has been a tough couple of months. But hopefully I am on a good wicket now and I can finish the season strong,” said Sithole.

“The Stormers have always been my first love. It is great to be back for a second time. Some things have changed, most things haven’t, so it has been great coming back.”

Sithole also admitted that the game against the Bulls was an extremely important match in regards to their season, and that they were looking forward to playing in front of a sold out Cape Town Stadium.

“I think you will struggle to find a bigger game than this, especially in a setting like this. It’s very special, it is probably going to be sold out by Saturday. I can tell you a packed Cape Town Stadium is something to witness live,” said Sithole.

“Obviously our log position at this time of the season is not ideal. Every game now is pretty crucial and almost a must win for us. Especially these home games, we need maximum points, so we are really looking to get a result.”