'Old school' Jake honoured to be part in SA rugby's storied rivalry: 'North v South alive and well'

Bulls coach Jake White says he is "honoured" to be part of South African rugby's traditional North v South derby as excitement around Friday night's United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the Stormers at DHL Stadium on Friday builds.

The Stormers, the 2021/22 URC champions, have won all of the last three fixtures between the sides in the competition under John Dobson, but the Bulls have been ever-improving under White and rested a host of big-name players in the recent European Champions Cup fixture block. 

READ | Stormers' selection compliment to Jake White, Bulls

It is an incredibly difficult match to call, with the teams tied on 34 points on the URC log while the winner of Friday's clash will claim second spot. 

Dobson, who was on the receiving end of a few losses to the Bulls in the season before the URC officially began, acknowledged on Thursday that this fixture does have extra "spice" and that it would always mean the world to him and his players. 

And while the two coaches have built up an intriguing rivalry over the last two years, White agrees, highlighting the respect both camps have for what has once again become South African rugby's premier derby. 

"I'm a big one for old-school values and when Tukkies played Maties and WP played Northern Transvaal, Doc [Danie] Craven always said that when those two unions are strong, South African rugby is strong," said White. 

"I think it's fantastic that the North v South derby as we know it is back to being competitive. As a schools master I always used to tell boys that I coached that one of the things you want to do is make sure that derby games stay derby games forever, otherwise it means one team has fallen by the wayside.

"There is no doubt that this is a derby and