Six former Springboks on who will go on to win the South African Vodacom Super Rugby conference and why.
Adrian Jacobs (former Bok centre)
'I’ve maintained from the beginning that the Stormers will win the South African conference. They’re a very consistent side, and even though the Bulls are top at the moment, the Stormers have a very good chance of taking it.'
Werner Greeff (former Bok fullback)
'The Stormers will have the upper hand. The Bulls still have to tour, they have a lot of big games and they traditionally don’t do too well away from Loftus. My money is on the Stormers.'
Robbie Kempson (former Bok prop)
'Probably the Stormers. They have the easier run-in, more home games and generally easier opposition whereas the Bulls have a tough opening game against a resurgent Blues side to start their tour. For that reason the Stormers should be the front-runners.'
Gaffie du Toit (former Bok flyhalf)
'The Stormers will win our conference. The Bulls will have to win all their matches overseas if they are going to vie for that No 1 spot and they normally struggle in Australasia. Not only do the Stormers have four home games left, it's also against weaker opponents than the Bulls will come up against on tour. I wouldn't mind if the Lions sneak it, but it probably won't be the case.'
André Pretorius (former Bok flyhalf)
'It's hard to look past the Bulls. They will easily win the South African conference. They are doing the basics well again, with their forwards dominating and setting a platform for the backs to run. The Stormers were the only side that could have challenged them after starting so brightly, but their form is dipping, as it usually does in this competition.'
Wayne Fyvie (former Bok flank)
'I'm backing the Lions. They've brought about a change in South African rugby with their style of play and Johan Ackermann has instilled belief in this group of players that they can go all the way. The Bulls share the same belief, but have a tough tour ahead of them. The Stormers have done well so far, but they are lacking the consistency and urgency shown earlier in the competition.'
Photo: Anne Laing/HSM Images
