Many believe Bulls are the strongest SA Super Rugby contenders

Three-time champions the Bulls could be the team to watch, according to some of the country’s top former players and coaches, though they admit all four South African teams will have a battle on their hands in an attempt to break a 10-year trophy drought in this season’s Super Rugby competition.

With momentum building ahead of the new campaign, which starts at the end of this month, fans were set to get their first glimpse of expanded franchise squads in action during this weekend’s Super Hero Sunday warm-up clashes.

With three sides starting their seasons under new coaches – the Lions (Cash van Rooyen), Stormers (John Dobson) and Sharks (Sean Everitt) – former Springbok prop Ollie le Roux believed the Bulls had the stability to produce the strongest challenge.

“I’m not a Bulls supporter but I’m backing Pote Human (Bulls coach) because he’s older and wiser,” Le Roux said.

“He does still have a tough task and I think all the teams will be strong in the beginning, but if I had to put cash on the line, I would go with the Bulls.”

Former Lions coach Loffie Eloff was also backing the Bulls to produce the strongest fight in the SA Conference, though he believed the other SA sides could deliver with the right approach.

“It will boil down to which team has the best fitness and conditioning, the best skills set, the ability to play together and who wants it the most,” Eloff said.

Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers was reluctant to pick a stand-out team, and he believed the opening round of matches would offer some insight into which sides might become playoff contenders.

“Having quite a big Springbok influence in their pack will certainly help the Stormers,” said De Villiers, who played more than 100 matches for the Western Cape side.

“But the Lions always seem to perform and find a way to win games, the Bulls have brought back some experience, along with some exciting youngsters, and the Sharks are in the same sort of transition.”

With the Boks having lifted the World Cup last year, former international wing Ray Mordt hoped the momentum from that performance and an injection of new players would reflect positively on SA teams.

“I just want every team to go out there and continue where we left off at the World Cup,” former Bok Mordt said.