Word from the Bulls camp is that their practices have been plagued by typical New Zealand rainy days; yet they are said to be persevering with an attacking game plan. This will certainly play into the hands of the Chiefs, who would do well to increase the pace of the game. Keeping the ball in play and employing quick throw in’s would counter the obvious influence of lineout connoisseur, Victor Matfield and go a long way to negating the phases on which the Bulls build their momentum. The breakdown is a strength of the reigning champions and the Chiefs will be all too aware of this (last year’s final won’t be far from their minds). Unlike the Blues however, the Waikato boys won’t try to front up to the big men. With a three-quarter line with such pedigree, why would they?

Lelia Masaga and co could run the Bulls ragged if the Chiefs back three are able to put the likes of Gerhard van den Heever under unbearable pressure that leads him to commit another brain fart, ala the quick lineout to Zane Kirchner that resulted in the try that effectively put paid to the Bulls challenge in Auckland.

The Chiefs rolled the dice by experimenting with Stephen Donald at centre (rather than flyhalf) and the move has proved to be an inspired one. This has meant an opportunity for Mike Delaney to bring greater balance and composure to the men from Hamilton. The talk in New Zealand is that though the move did not pay off at international level, Donald brings a much needed balance to the out all attacking brilliance of centre partner Richard Kahui.

The Bulls are without their centre combination of last week, but that could prove to a blessing in disguise as the Blues simply carved up the South African midfield in a manner far easier than we should accept. Stephan Dippenaar replaces Jaco Pretorius (damaged eye socket) and the Pretoria faithful will be hoping he can rediscover the form that made his combination with Olivier so deadly at Loftus in the early rounds.

In terms of the battle of the boot, the Bulls have, for once, met their match. Donald is one of the most consistent goal kickers in the game and Brendon Leonard is clearly the best scrumhalf in New Zealand. Though Fourie du Preez is rightly praised on a weekly basis, the truth is that, like any halfback, he is made to look ordinary when his pack doesn’t provide him with adequate protection at the breakdown.

An accumulation of phases was the hallmark of the Loftus half of the season, but has been sadly lacking in the Bulls road trip. Impatience and unforgivable unforced errors may go unpunished against the likes of the Force, Lions or Cheetahs, but the Chiefs have the ability to turn scraps into points from anywhere on the park. The defensive disaster of the Lions v Chiefs fixture in Johannesburg may have upset the purists, but it points to the Brazilian soccer mantra that both the Chiefs and the Bulls adopted in the early season (‘we don’t mind conceding, as long as we score more than the opposition’). That being said, the Bulls have come off a loss and the Chiefs showed a newly found propensity for the tight game with a hard fought 27-21 scrap over the Highlanders.

Expect the Chiefs to show their mobility by running the bulkier Bulls pack around the park, leading to gaps developing in the last quarter. By keeping the ball in play for extended periods, the Chiefs are likely to add to the woes of a limited Bulls team, clearly on a downward trend.

Teams

Bulls: 

Zane Kirchner, Gerhard van den Heever, Stephan Dippenaar, Wynand Olivier, Francois Hougaard, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Werner Kruger, Gary Botha, Gurthro Steenkamp.

Replacements: Bandise Maku, Bees Roux, Flip van der Merwe, Pedrie Wannenburg, Heini Adams, Jacques-Louis Potgieter (24), Jaco van der Westhuyzen.

Chiefs:

1. Sona Taumalolo,2. Hika Elliot,3. Ben Afeaki,4. Craig Clarke,5. Culum Retallick,6. Liam Messam (captain),7. Tanerau Latimer,8. Sione Lauaki,9. Brendon Leonard,10. Mike Delany,11. Dwayne Sweeney,12. Stephen Donald,13. Richard Kahui,14. Lelia Masaga,15. Tim Nanai-Williams

Reserves: 16. Vern Kamo, 17. Toby Smith, 18. Jarrad Hoeata, 19.Colin Bourke 20. Junior Poluleuligaga, 21. Callum Bruce, 22. Jackson Willison.