Stormers keen to make fans proud in sold out URC derby against Bulls — Zas

Stormers wing Leolin Zas says the team are excited and gearing up for another sold out clash when they host the Bulls in the North-South United Rugby Championship (URC) derby at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A crowd of close to 55,000 is set to be packed to the rafters for the most eagerly anticipated local derby of the past few years.

Both the Stormers and Bulls have sold out the North-South derby on a number of occasions over the first three seasons of the URC and although there are still tickets available for the game they are selling out fast.

Zas explained how the team lives by the moniker, ‘to make Cape Town smile again,’ and that a packed stadium at the start of the year, when finances are often tight for many people, really inspires the players.

“It is always nice for us to play in front of a full stadium as it gives us a lot of energy to have such support. We are very excited to hear that more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold,” said Zas earlier in the week.

“Playing the Bulls is always a big game and we know what is at stake for us. At the risk of repeating myself, we do get a lot of energy from the fans and the fact that they are buying tickets after a financially tough January means they believe in us. We are fully connected to them and want to make them proud.”

Arendse missing

Zas was asked if the Bulls would miss their Springbok star Kurt-Lee Arendse, who is currently on sabbatical in Japan, but said that they had more then enough top players to cover that role and that they had to be ready for that.

“Kurt-Lee is a Springbok and he has been scoring a lot of tries and is the in-form winger for the Boks. But the Bulls have quality wings with the likes of Sergeal (Petersen) and Canan (Moodie) can also cover there if he is not at centre,” said Zas.

“So his absence won’t be a massive loss to them, they still have a lot of quality and guys who can back him up. We have been practicing our aerial balls every day. They also kick a lot, but we will be prepared for that.”

The Stormers have been the dominant team in the North-South derby since the start of the URC, winning seven of their eight games to date, but the Bulls won their most recent match, a thumping 40-22 win at Loftus in March last year.

The Bulls have also been the form SA team in the URC this season, sitting third on the log while the Stormers are down in 12^th, and although the Cape side has won all five home games so far, this could be the Highveld sides best chance in four seasons to get a win on the coast.