Stormers v Bulls: Will Bok boss Rassie be watching these players?

The first North-South derby in season four of the United Rugby Championship (URC) sees the Stormers and Bulls go head-to-head at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2pm).

The Stormers will want to keep their unbeaten home record intact, having beaten the Bulls in all five games in Cape Town in the competition, while the Highveld visitors will be eager to clinch a second straight win after breaking a seven-game losing streak at Loftus last year.

It is also a massive chance for a number of Springbok hopefuls to show what they have got, with head coach Rassie Erasmus undoubtedly keeping a keen eye on the match.

Here are three positions where players will be eager to impress:

Eighthman: Evan Roos and Cameron Hanekom

A massively exciting battle should be waged between the two number eights, as they both aim to put in standout performances. Roos of the Stormers is arguably the player who would want to stand out the most as he has yet to hammer down a regular place in the Bok squad despite being in the mix for the past few years.

The Bulls’ Hanekom however will be just as motivated, after he made his Bok debut against Wales in Cardiff last year, and although he is highly regarded, he is still in a very stacked department, so he will be keen to continue impressing as he has been for most of this season.

Hooker: Joseph Dweba and Johan Grobbelaar

The one position that the Boks still seem very light at is hooker and Joseph Dweba and Johan Grobbelaar have both had decent look-ins without impressing too much.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who starts in the Bulls’ No 1 jersey on Saturday, is arguably the current front runner due to his versatility, with him also able to play prop.

But an out and out third choice hooker would be preferable to back up Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi. Dweba and Grobbelaar both have various issues, but they also have strong points and both will be keen to show that they still have what it takes to get another look in during the coming international season.

Scrumhalf: Herschel Jantjies and Embrose Papier

Scrumhalf is another stacked position for the Boks, but with a few of their veterans possibly on their way out, this could be the perfect time to see someone else brought in. Towards the end of last season it seemed like the Boks were moving past Faf de Klerk, and with Cobus Reinach 35 this year, there is space for someone else in the mix.

Both Jantjies and Papier have played for the Boks previously and both have been impressing at their franchises. There is definitely a spot available and having played for the Boks before could give either a leg up in rejoining.

And, the match-up that won’t happen: Neethling Fouche and Wilco Louw

The Stormers and Bulls packs are known as two of the strongest in the URC and it is always a treat to see them go head-to-head. What was supposed to be an interesting clash of the tightheads is no longer after Neethling Fouche was ruled out of the game due to concussion.

Fouche was part of the Bok alignment camps last season and the wider squad for the first Welsh Test but didn’t get a look in.

Louw was a late call-up to the end-of-year-tour squad and made his first Bok appearance in November since 2021. With Frans Malherbe getting on in his years, both will see a gap in the Bok mix, but only Louw will be able to impress on Saturday.