Concerns over Cape Town pitch as 'biggest Stormers crowd of all time' set to pack stadium

It was clear throughout their Friday morning training session at Cape Town Stadium that the Stormers are in a good space ahead of their blockbuster quarter-final against the Bulls. 

The defending URC champions were all smiles and full of laughter, and coach John Dobson acknowledged that this had been a particularly good week of training. 

The Stormers have, after all, enjoyed two weeks off with Dobson resting all of his main URC players in this past weekend's Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls, also in Cape Town. 

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Refreshed and energised, the Stormers are up for this, but there was some concern in the camp on Friday that the Cape Town Stadium pitch could be an equalising factor of sorts on Saturday. 

Slippery and sludgy underfoot, the turf at the iconic venue has long been a talking point, and plans are in place to turn it into a 50% synthetic surface beyond this season. 

"It's brilliant," skipper Steven Kitshoff sarcastically said on Friday at his pre-match press conference when asked about the surface as the room erupted with laughter. 

The pitch has actually improved since last weekend's Currie Cup game. 

"There are patches where it is a bit dodgy, but it's still a quick pitch and scrumming and mauling will be the tricky part," Kitshoff added. 

"The pitch is playable and guys must just take extra caution when it comes to studs and that kind of thing."

This is Kitshoff's final season with the Stormers, which means Saturday's clash will be an emotional farewell if his side loses. 

"For me, it's still all about preparing as well as I can before the game and not bringing emotion into it," he said.

"I think it will be emotional after the game, and that's where that will kick