The Stormers are on the verge of extending their record at home against the local teams and ending another year unbeaten against them in the United Rugby Championship.
Only the Sharks stand between them and a second consecutive year without bowing the knee to the three SA franchises.
The last time the former URC champions lost against a domestic side was against the Lions back in December of 2021.
Since then, they have swept their local competition aside, and will be looking to follow the same path in the coastal derby at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (7pm kick-off).
It seems like the Stormers have found their attacking rhythm just in time for this Sharks battle, as the Durban side have some prolific World Cup winners in lock Eben Etzebeth, wing Makazole Mapimpi, centre Lukhanyo Am and scrumhalves Jaden Hendrikse and Grant Williams in their squad.
The Cape side have had two tough matches against La Rochelle and the Bulls in recent weeks, which should be enough preparation for the last game of 2023.
And the fact that they have been trying to build winning momentum after a bad start to the URC meant that coach John Dobson and his assistants minimised the disruptions with few changes in recent games.
All the available first-team stars such as captain Deon Fourie, Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok, Hacjivah Dayimani and Ruhan Nel have played the past two weekends, and some of them are set for a break only after the Sharks clash.
Centre Dan du Plessis is also set to return from injury this week.
“We’ve done it in the past, where we rested some guys and they played the following big game, and the guys were not sharp enough,” assistant coach Norman Laker explained.
“The connection that was there in the previous weeks wasn’t necessarily there. It’s a catch-22 situation. Sometimes it can work for you, sometimes it can work against you.
“We have had three tough games already, but we will have a week off next week, so we are putting in all the work for Saturday (tomorrow).”
Going into the break and New Year with a win will be very important for the Cape side.
Their four-week tour in the URC did not deliver results, and after picking up winning momentum over the past couple of weeks, getting a victory over the Sharks will stand them in good stead when they pick things up around the middle of January again.
Their next two matches will be important Champions Cup outings against Sale Sharks (January 13, Cape Town) and Stade Francais (January 20, Paris).
Going into these two games without winning momentum can be tricky, especially needing a victory and a few losing bonus points if they want to make it out of that “Group of Death” in the Champions Cup.
The Stormers’ URC campaign takes a longer break after tomorrow until the middle of February. The Capetonians will be back in action then against the Sharks in the return fixture in Durban.
Should Dobson’s side bag the win in Cape Town tomorrow, he will have the luxury of picking and choosing who he wants to let loose in February. It can also be a game where injured players can make their return.
But before they can think so far ahead, they must focus on what the Sharks will bring. And they’ll also know a wounded animal is a dangerous one.
@Leighton_K