SA teams set pace

RUDOLPH JACOBS

JOHANNESBURG - The Bulls and the Stormers are calling the shots in the Super 14 competition.

With the current champions and the Stormers occupying the top two positions on the log, local fans had plenty to smile about after the disappointment of the Sharks and the Lions earlier on the weekend.

Despite it still being early days in the competition, they have given fuel to the idea that once again two South African teams could contest the final come May 29, as in 2007 when the Bulls beat the Sharks 20-19 in a nail-biter in Dur- ban.

At Loftus on Saturday, the Bulls retained their unbeaten record with a 50-35 victory over the Highlanders and top the log with 20 points despite having played a game less.

The Stormers are starting to live up to their reputation with a fourth win in five starts after clinically destroying the Hurricanes 37-13 at Newlands, running in five tries. The Cape side boasts the best defensive in the competition after conceding only four tries.

The Bulls (20), the Stormers (19), the Crusaders (18), the Chiefs and the Brumbies (both 16) are currently the pace-setters, but the Crusaders are still faced with a tour to South Africa which will involve games against the Stormers and the Bulls in week 12 and 13.

The Bulls seem to be in class of their own which augers well for next year’s World Cup in New Zealand and after a hugely successful year for the Springboks in 2007, South Africa could be in a position to become the first team to retain the World Cup.

Worrying however for national coach Peter de Villiers is the fact that the Lions and the Sharks have both crashed to their fifth straight defeat in the competition.

The Cheetahs, who had a bye last weekend, are also enjoying a better competition than last year.

After the disappointment of the massive 73-12 defeat of the Lions in Sydney against the Waratahs and the Sharks’narrow 24-22 defeat against the Brumbies in Canberra, the Bulls and the Stormers put their hands up for possible Bok contenders against the French in June in Cape Town.

With John Smit in the Sharks set-up, it’s not ideal for De Villiers to see his Bok skipper involved in a losing culture. Also worrying is the performances of Bok players like wing JP Pietersen, prop Jannie du Plessis and scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, who are struggling to recapture their best form, although the Sharks’ performance is showing a definite upward curve.