Jukskei derby losing sparkle

The Bulls and Lions go headto-head in their United Rugby Championship (URC) cross-Jukskei derby at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow afternoon, with little fanfare leading up to the game.

What is a famous match-up in South African rugby history, between the two Gauteng rivals, seems to have lost its lustre over the years and has become just another game between local rivals.

That could be down to how neither side has been at their best when facing each other over the past few decades, with the Lions going through a difficult patch, followed by the Bulls struggling and then back over to the Lions again.

During the Bulls’ dominance of Super Rugby in the Super 14 era between 2006 and 2010, where they won three of the five titles, the Lions were dismal, finishing in the bottom three on the log in all five of those seasons, including bottom twice.

When the Lions finally managed to become SA’s top side, making three straight Super Rugby finals from 2016-2018, it was the Bulls’ turn to crash, as they finished ninth, 15th and 12th over those seasons.

In recent times with the Bulls rising back up, the Lions have slipped down, and since neither has been on the same level in a long time, that detracts from the contest.

Lions captain Marius Louw was asked during a press conference in the week if the Jukskei derby still made the hairs stand up on the back of the players’ necks. Although his response was diplomatic, it wasn’t exactly filled with excitement.

“I think it’s always entertaining when Gauteng comes together for the Jukskei derby. It’s always lovely and I am really looking forward to it,” said Louw.

The current headline derby in SA rugby is the clash between the Stormers and Bulls, which has reached new heights in the URC.

Although the Stormers have dominated in the past three seasons (7-0), it is still the most popular local derby. Around 40 000 fans turned up for their most recent encounter at the Cape Town Stadium this past December.