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Cape Town - Bulls captain Victor Matfield shies away from all the hype surrounding the North-South derby clash between his side and the Stormers.
The teams tackle each other in a Super Rugby game in Pretoria on Saturday - a game always preceded by an intense build-up about two arch rivals.
Matfield, however, views it as just another match and believes fans and the media hype it up too much.
"Everything week is important to us and we can't be better prepared for the Stormers than for other teams. If you do that, then the Crusaders and Brumbies or any other team will thump you," Matfield told the Beeld website.
"In this competition you have to be at your best every week."
Matfield has also taken note of the more attacking style the Stormers have employed in recent weeks, but says it’s important for them to focus on their own game.
He feels the Stormers' new style could also give the Bulls more opportunities to attack, and said the challenge for them would be to remain calm and not let the Stormers force them to play the game at a higher pace.
Kick-off for Saturday's clash at Loftus Versfeld is scheduled for 19:10.
Teams:
Bulls:
15. Jurgen Visser, 14. Akona Ndungane, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Jan Serfontein, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Handré Pollard, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Grant Hattingh, 7. Jacques du Plessis, 6. Jono Ross, 5. Victor Matfield (captain), 4. Paul Willemse, 3. Marcel van der Merwe, 2. Callie Visagie, 1. Dean Greyling
Substitutes: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Werner Kruger, 18. Morné Mellett, 19. Jacques Engelbrecht, 20. Wimpie van der Walt, 21. Rudy Paige, 22. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 23. William Small-Smith
Stormers:
15. Jaco Taute, 14. Damian de Allende, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Peter Grant,11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Schalk Burger (captain), 6. Nizaam Carr, 5. Ruan Botha, 4. Jean Kleyn, 3. Pat Cilliers, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Brok Harris
Substitutes: 16. Stephan Coetzee, 17. Alistair Vermaak, 18. Martin Dreyer, 19. Siya Kolisi, 20. Deon Fourie, 21. Dylon Frylinck, 22. Michael van der Spuy, 23. Devon Williams
The teams tackle each other in a Super Rugby game in Pretoria on Saturday - a game always preceded by an intense build-up about two arch rivals.
Matfield, however, views it as just another match and believes fans and the media hype it up too much.
"Everything week is important to us and we can't be better prepared for the Stormers than for other teams. If you do that, then the Crusaders and Brumbies or any other team will thump you," Matfield told the Beeld website.
"In this competition you have to be at your best every week."
Matfield has also taken note of the more attacking style the Stormers have employed in recent weeks, but says it’s important for them to focus on their own game.
He feels the Stormers' new style could also give the Bulls more opportunities to attack, and said the challenge for them would be to remain calm and not let the Stormers force them to play the game at a higher pace.
Kick-off for Saturday's clash at Loftus Versfeld is scheduled for 19:10.
Teams:
Bulls:
15. Jurgen Visser, 14. Akona Ndungane, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Jan Serfontein, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Handré Pollard, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Grant Hattingh, 7. Jacques du Plessis, 6. Jono Ross, 5. Victor Matfield (captain), 4. Paul Willemse, 3. Marcel van der Merwe, 2. Callie Visagie, 1. Dean Greyling
Substitutes: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Werner Kruger, 18. Morné Mellett, 19. Jacques Engelbrecht, 20. Wimpie van der Walt, 21. Rudy Paige, 22. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 23. William Small-Smith
Stormers:
15. Jaco Taute, 14. Damian de Allende, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Peter Grant,11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Schalk Burger (captain), 6. Nizaam Carr, 5. Ruan Botha, 4. Jean Kleyn, 3. Pat Cilliers, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Brok Harris
Substitutes: 16. Stephan Coetzee, 17. Alistair Vermaak, 18. Martin Dreyer, 19. Siya Kolisi, 20. Deon Fourie, 21. Dylon Frylinck, 22. Michael van der Spuy, 23. Devon Williams
