The Vodacom Blue Bulls take on the Vodacom Stormers at Orlando Stadium in Soweto at 5pm on Saturday 29 May in the all-South African final of the 2010 Super 14.
Check out the odds and place a bet:
Game details
Date: Saturday 29 May 2010
Kick off: 17:00
Venue: Orlando Stadium, Soweto
Referee: Craig Joubert (SA)
Assistant Referees: Cobus Wessels (SA), Christie du Preez (SA)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (SA)
Teamsheets
Bulls – Zane Kirchner, Gerhard van den Heever, Jaco Pretorius, Wynand Olivier, Francois Hougaard, Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Victor Matfield (c), Danie Rossouw, Werner Kruger, Gary Botha, Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Reserves: Bandise Maku, Bees Roux, Flip van der Merwe, Derick Kuün, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Pedrie Wannenburg.
Coach: Frans Ludeke.
Stormers – Joe Pietersen, Gio Aplon, Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jongh, Bryan Habana, Peter Grant, Dewald Duvenhage, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Andries Bekker, Adriaan Fondse, Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg, Wikus Blaauw.
Reserves: Deon Fourie, JC Kritzinger, Anton van Zyl, Pieter Louw, Ricky Januarie, Willem de Waal, Tim Whitehead.
Coach: Allister Coetzee.
History and stats make the Vodacom Bulls favourites to win their third Vodacom Super Rugby title in four years when they host the Vodacom Stormers in the final of the 2010 tournament at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto at 17h00 on Saturday.
Among the distinctions held by the Vodacom Bulls are the fact that the defending champions will be aiming to become the third Super Rugby franchise to win back-to-back titles after claiming their second Super Rugby trophy last season following their 61-17 victory over the Chiefs in Pretoria. Only the Crusaders (2005, 2006 and 1998, 1999, 2000) and Blues (1996, 1997) have ever won consecutive competitions.
Factors in Bulls favour
• This is the Vodacom Bulls’ third Vodacom Super 14 final in four years – the Stormers are appearing in their first
• Nine Vodacom Bulls players – Wynand Olivier, Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pedrie Wannenburg, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Derick Kuün, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Pierre Spies – will be playing in their third Vodacom Super 14 final.
• Zane Kirchner, Jaco Pretorius, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Werner Kruger and Chiliboy Ralepelle represented the Pretoria franchise during last year’s final.
• Jaco van der Westhuizen and Gary Botha were part of the successful Vodacom Bulls squad that competed in the 2007 Vodacom Super 14 at The Absa Stadium Durban. (Francois Hougaard and Gerhard van den Heever are the only Vodacom Bulls players selected in their starting line up who have not played in a Vodacom Super 14 final).
• The only Stormers to have appeared in a major final are Bryan Habana, twice with the Bulls in Vodacom Super 14, and with Stormers team-mates Schalk Burger and Jaque Fourie in a Rugby World Cup final.
• The Bulls have won five of the last six meeting between the two teams – the exception being the final round meeting two weeks ago when the Bulls fielded a team showing 14 changes from the previous week
Other statistics
• Matfield will lead the Vodacom Bulls for a record 60th time and could join former Crusaders captain Todd Blackadder and Richie McCaw as the most successful Super Rugby captains of all time should the Vodacom Bulls win by leading a team to the title on three occasions.
• The Vodacom Stormers have the best defensive record in the competition, conceding only 17 tries
• The Vodacom Bulls have the best attacking record in the competition, having scored 50 tries.
• The Vodacom Stormers have the best disciplinary record in the competition having received only one yellow card
• The defending champions have set a new South African record for the most points scored in a Super Rugby competition
• This will be the sixth occasion in the history of Super Rugby where a final will be contested in a local derby.
• It is the second time two South African franchises compete in a Vodacom Super Rugby final
• New Zealand sides have battled it out in four other finales. Two Australian teams have never competed in the final.
• This will be only the third occasion on which a New Zealand team have not competed for the coveted trophy.
• SARU referee Craig Joubert will handle his 50th Super Rugby game
Form
• The defending champions, who will be playing in their second Vodacom Super 14 match in Soweto, have been undefeated at their traditional home – Loftus Versfeld for the last two seasons. They defeated the Crusaders 39-24 in last weekend’s semi-final match at the Orlando Stadium.
• The Vodacom Bulls last conceded a home defeat back in 2008 when they suffered a 22-50 loss against the Hurricanes.
• The Cape franchise recorded three away victories in this season’s competition against the Auto & General Lions (26-13), Chiefs (49-15) and the Blues (33-21).
• The Vodacom Stormers have also conceded three away defeats against the Western Force (15-16), Reds (13-16) and The Sharks (14-20) in Durban.
Head to Head: 1996-2009
Bulls – P: 14 W: 6 L: 7 D: 1 PF: 383 PA: 313
Bulls recent home form:
WWWWWWLWLWWWLW
Stormers recent away form:
WWLWWWLWWLWLWW
Player/match stats
• The Vodacom Bulls will be competing in their third Vodacom Super 14 final in four years while the Vodacom Stormers will be making their Super Rugby final debut on Saturday.
• The defending champions have yet to concede defeat in a Vodacom Super 14 final.
• Nine Vodacom Bulls players – Wynand Olivier, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pedrie Wannenburg, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Derick Kuün, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Pierre Spies will be playing in their third Vodacom Super 14 final.
• Zane Kirchner, Jaco Pretorius, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Werner Kruger and Chiliboy Ralepelle represented the Pretoria franchise during last year’s final.
• Jaco van der Westhuizen and Gary Botha were part of the successful Vodacom Bulls squad that competed in the 2007 Vodacom Super 14 at The Absa Stadium Durban.
• Matfield made his first class debut for the Blue Bulls in 1997 at the age of 19.
• The only Vodacom Bulls players selected in their starting line up who have not played in a Vodacom Super 14 final are wingers Francois Hougaard and Gerhard van den Heever.
• Wannenburg is the only Vodacom Bulls player that has competed in all Vodacom Super 14 matches this season.
• Scrumhalf Du Preez will earn his 99th Super Rugby cap for the Pretoria franchise on Saturday. He represented the SA Under-21s during 2002-2003 after earning his SA Under-19 colours in 2001.
• Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn is currently SA’s Super Rugby record holder for most points in a career – 737.
• Steyn is also the leading points’ scorer in the 2010 competition with 243.
• Bryan Habana is the only Vodacom Stormers player who has competed in a Vodacom Super 14 final. He played in 2007 final for the Vodacom Bulls and scored the match-winning try. Habana also played in 2009 final for the Pretoria franchise.
• Peter Grant currently holds the Vodacom Stormers record for most points scored in a career – 526. He represented the SA Schools and the Sharks Under-18 side at the 2002 Coca-Cola Craven Week.
• Andries Bekker, who is the tallest player in the Vodacom Super 14 at 2.08 metres, made his SA Under-21 debut in 2003.
• Francois Louw, who will be making his Springbok debut against Wales next month, is the grandson of former Bok and Western Province President Jan Pickard.
• Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has taken charge of the Pretoria franchise for the last three seasons and has a winning record of 69 percent.
• Former Springbok assistant coach Allister Coetzee has a 71 percent winning record in his first year in charge of the Vodacom Stormers.
• Referee Craig Joubert will handle his 50th Super Rugby game and his first final on Saturday at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
Super Rugby history
Blue Bulls
P:183 W:83 L:93 D:7 PF:4735 PA:5156 TF:516 TA:604
Stormers
P:167 W:78 L:84 D:5 PF:3871 PA:4124 TF:417 TA:461