Home advantage crucial for Stormers in North-South derby against Bulls

The Stormers are banking on their home crowd and record at the DHL Stadium against the Bulls to give them that extra boost in the North-South derby on Saturday afternoon.

Over 45 000 of you with tickets for this one already! Don't miss out, there aren't many left!

🎟️ https://t.co/UbcKnDea9C pic.twitter.com/V8A12Vx9sJ

— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 4, 2025

While the team knows what they do on the field will ultimately determine the result, they believe playing in front of 'The Faithful' as the Stormers' supporters are affectionately known, gives them that extra motivation.

Days before the 2pm kick-off, over 45 000 tickets have been sold and only limited amounts remain as things head for another sold-out affair between the two rivals.

Stormers wing Leolin Zas said this week, that it will serve as extra motivation for them when they face the Bulls in a bid to turn their season around and keep their win record intact.

“It gives us a lot of energy to have such support.”

"It gives us a lot of energy to have such support, so it is always nice for us to play in front of our faithful fans," Zas said, ahead of the derby.

"Playing against the Bulls is always big and the guys know what is at stake. This time of the year is tough after January, but people decided to buy tickets.

“That means they fully believe in us. Like we said, we get a lot of energy from them. We are fully connected to them and want to make them proud."

Zas has developed a love for scoring against their Northern rivals and he will look to continue those exploits on Saturday. While the Bulls will be without their hotstepper Kurt-Lee Arendse, who's on a sabbatical in Japan, the Cape side will be wary of their other threats.

The #VURC SA Shield is about to get interesting:

▪️ 8 Feb: Stormers vs Bulls
▪️ 15 Feb: Lions vs Stormers
▪️ 15 Feb: Bulls vs Sharks
▪️ 22 Feb: Bulls vs Lions
▪️ 1 Mar: Lions vs Sharks
▪️ 1 Mar: Bulls vs Stormers
▪️ 8 Mar: Sharks vs Lions

📺 Every game 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 on SuperSport,… pic.twitter.com/ZtFXFzhsIA

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) February 4, 2025

One of Zas's most memorable tries against the Bulls was a beaut where he bumped Arendse on his way to the try line for a typical Stormers score.

According to Zas, the absence of Arendse doesn't necessarily weaken the Bulls' backline. He still highlighted the presence of URC winner Sergeal Petersen, Willie le Roux, Sebastiaan de Klerk and Canan Moodie as massive threats.

Le Roux is tipped to play flyhalf, but wherever he finds himself, he will be a handful for his opponents.

“Kurt-Lee is a Springbok and he has been scoring a lot of tries and is the in-form winger for the Boks.”

“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 and Canan can also cover there if he is not at centre.

“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.”