South Africa's most iconic, hard-fought rugby rivalry is back to its captivating best as the Stormers and Bulls prepare for their blockbuster United Rugby Championship (URC) showdown at DHL Stadium on Friday night.
The last time the side's met, back on 18 June 2022, a stunning second-half showing from Stormers saw them emerge 18-13 winners in the first-ever URC tournament final to land their maiden piece of major international silverware.
In the pool stages of that season, the Stormers also beat the Bulls twice (30-26 at Loftus and 19-17 in Cape Town) to leave coach John Dobson with a 3-0 record over Jake White in all URC competition.READ | White recalls Bok stars Arendse, Moodie and Nortje for Bulls-Stormers humdingerDobson downplayed that statistic at his pre-match press conference on Thursday, but there is no doubt that this fixture comes with a dollop of added spice that makes for a hugely intriguing affair.
White's selection policy in recent weeks - he has strategically rested his bigger names in the most recent Champions Cup fixture block - also suggests that he is eyeing this clash as hugely important.