With threats across the park, the South African derby between the Stormers and Lions tomorrow (1.45pm kick-off) in Cape Town promises to be an exciting end for both sides to the United Rugby Championship round-robin season.
The hosts will be looking to play their typical Stormers running rugby that is built on a solid set-piece foundation.
The Lions will want to front up with their heavyweights to allow their talented back line to counter the Cape side.
We looked at five key battle points that could determine the result...
Scrum war
It will all begin here for both sides. The Stormers and Lions possess some of the strongest scrummagers in the URC, and the sparks could fly between the front-rankers as they try to push each other off the ball.
This is probably the biggest platform they use, not just for launching attacks, but also to win penalties, to get in a better field position, or to add points to the scoreboard.
So, there will be some dark arts when they pack down from both sides to best their opponents at the scrum.
Dialled darts in line-outs
Another South African strong suit is the line-out and resulting rolling mauls that have their origins thanks to some good line-out throwing. There will be lots of competition on their opponents’ throw, and that can put pressure on the hookers.
So will the 22 000-plus crowd set to pitch up.
Whoever can send the ball straight to their line-out jumpers without giving in to the pressure will provide a solid base from which rolling mauls could be launched, or attacks from first-phase – which both teams love to deploy – could find their origins.
Battle of the boots
While the Lions will likely not aim for posts that often because they need tries, the Stormers will use penalties to get their points from flyhalf Manie Libbok to secure a win any way they can.
But the big boot battle lies with the attacking and defensive kicks from the halfbacks and fullbacks of the two sides.
Those box-kicks from the base of rucks need to be pinpoint to chase. Pressure-relieving kicks, especially with the exit strategy from their 22-metre areas will also be crucial for the teams.
All set for a big @Vodacom #URC SA derby at DHL Stadium to end the regular season and Sacha can't wait to get out there.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) May 30, 2024
🎟️ Tickets here https://t.co/Bc75rZDzco#iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/1kJ6dHg4bb
Gone with the wings
A couple of key battles will take place on the field, but looking at how the two sides attack, the duels between both sets of wings will add more fire to the game.
The trick will be to get them into space, and if the players around them manage to do that, speedsters such as Angelo Davids and Edwill van der Merwe will wreak havoc with the ball.
Both teams feed off broken play and the transition phase during the attack. Whoever stamps their authority here and gets the ball out wide will see their wings score tries.
Double up on defence
The mid-fielders and loose forwards will be crucial on defence, especially when they hunt in packs and double-tackle their opponents back behind the advantage line.
It will open up the possibility of turnovers at the breakdown, and at the same time rob the opposite team of momentum.
Both teams have had a few leaks here and there on defence during the season, but it’s the Lions that will be vulnerable, having to chase four tries to try and get a bonus-point win over the Stormers.