Cape Town - The coastal derby between the Stormers and Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday (kickoff 14:30) will determine if the home side will clinch the SA Shield of the United Rugby Championship (URC) for a second consecutive year.
For the Sharks, a win will keep them in the hunt to secure a spot among the top 8 in the competition for a possible quarter-final at the end of the regular season.
IOL Sport's Leighton Koopman takes a look at five key match-ups that could determine the outcome of the derby at DHL Cape Town Stadium.
The battle of the Bok 10s
Arguably the position that will be most vital for both teams in this match. Manie Libbok vs Curwin Bosch. You'd excuse Libbok if he takes this a bit personally seeing that he was kept out of the Sharks 10 jumper and even the bench by Bosch and others when he had a brief stint at the Sharks.
The Stormers’ talisman already bedazzled the Durban side at King's Park last month with his running lines and ability to break the defence line with a sidestep or soft hands in a pass to a teammate.
Bosch's form, though, has been on the up since he's been given an extended run at flyhalf. He's also captaining the side which could have a positive effect on his gameplay.
There's also the chance to impress the Bok coaches who will surely be in attendance Saturday afternoon.
His kicking game will be vital, but if they are to beat the Stormers in Cape Town, Bosch will have to be the spark for his backline.
The Blitzboks family affair
After the game, the Stormers' Seabelo Senatla and Sharks winger Werner Kok will surely be sharing a hug, a laugh and a beer.
Before that, though, they'll go hard at each other because they face each other directly in the game.
Hopefully Senatla gets a good body rub beforehand because he'll definitely need one afterwards to repair those muscles if Kok lands a shoulder or two on him.
Kok is known for his ferocious and fearless play, diving into a tackle with almost no regard for his body. It won't be any different on Saturday.
Senatla, on the other hand, is lightning-quick and has an eye for a gap. So any chance he gets, he's going to make the Sharks pay if they give him that chance. And he's ready to find his feet again after a long injury layoff.
However, Kok will look to inspire his team with his fearlessness. They desperately need some to take the physical battle to the Stormers in the backline and he can be that player along with his centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
The big shove Part 1
You can argue that Hanro Jacobs has been thrown in the deep end against one of the most experienced front rows in the country.
Even in the absence of Steven Kitshoff and Brok Harris on the Stormers' bench, another veteran Ali Vermaak will be waiting in the scrum for Jacobs.
But what an opportunity for the 22-year-old to grab if he can get one over, and in the scrum under, the experienced Vermaak.
The Sharks suffered in the scrum in the previous meeting and Jacobs' big task will be to anchor their set piece so that the Stormers can not get ascendancy.
Vermaak will be relishing a rare opportunity to start for his team with him currently playing behind Kitshoff and Harris.
He has shown every time he gets on to the park, that he can keep the scrum domination going for his time. But Vermaak has got another weapon in the fact that he moves across the park making tackles where it's needed.
The big shove Part 2
Another fierce contest will be the one on the other side of the scrum between Neethling Fouché and Dian Blueler.
Stormers tighthead Fouché has been dominating in the scrum and was the main architect in destroying the Sharks set piece in Durban. Not one of the front rowers who started for the home side in Durban will start against the Stormers on Saturday.
This is a testament to how the defending URC champs dominated.
Blueler, like Jacobs, is a youngster and this is a perfect opportunity for the 23-year-old to showcase his prowess against a more experienced opponent.
Since taking over the tighthead jersey in Cape Town, Fouché has shoved back most if not all of his opponents in the scrum.
He's shown that in the absence of Bok Frans Malherbe, the Stormers' scrum will still be anchored and strong.
Locked in for the lineout battle
Ruben van Heerden had an amazing return to South Africa in the Stormers' drubbing of his former team in Durban last month.
The lock scored a try after bumping off Huron Andrews right in front of the try line. That score announced his return as he celebrated loudly with his new teammates.
He's also been tasked with the Stormers lineout calls this weekend which will be vital if the team wants to get their rolling maul going against a Sharks team who's been struggling to stop mauls.
Van Heerden will be making his Cape Town Stadium debut and will be looking to celebrate this special moment with the same vigour as the game in Durban.
But his opposite number Gebrandt Grobler is a sly fox and knows how to disrupt the lineouts of his opposition.
Grobler is also a former Stormer with good ties to Cape Town. He'll be eager to exact revenge with his Sharks side. His two tries in Durban, one where he caught the Stormers' defence unawares after a breakdown, shows his clever plays, especially around the rucks.
He will be instrumental if the Sharks want to challenge the Stormers in the lineout to prevent them from starting their rolling maul. But if they do get going, he has a clever way of disrupting a storming maul and that's going to be something that the Sharks will want him to do.