'Stormers look like they're struggling' - Bulls coach fearless ahead of SA derby playoff

Bulls assistant coach Chris Rossouw said the Stormers may give off the impression that their rugby bits aren't quite coming together, but that makes them an even bigger playoff threat.

The two rival teams were drawn in the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-finals by virtue of the Stormers finishing third and the Bulls sixth.

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The Bulls will know the threat the Stormers pose all too well.

They've lost all five of their north/south URC derbies against their fiercest rivals, including last season's hotly contested final at Cape Town Stadium.

The Bulls have looked like the business in their respective demolitions of Zebre (78-12) and Leinster (62-7) in consecutive weekends.

The Stormers, who have been beset by injuries, have looked shaky in their end-of-season run-in, with their Champions Cup quarter-final loss to Exeter (42-17) followed by a 26-24 loss to Munster, before Friday's laborous 38-22 win over Benetton.

Outside of their noted rivalry, what makes the Stormers/Bulls clash the tie of the quarter-finals is that both sides are the only two teams who first had Leinster's measure (22-22) before the Bulls crushed them on Saturday.

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Rossouw said the Stormers may give off the impression of being under pressure, but they're a different team altogether in playoff rugby.

"It looks like they're struggling, but one needs to understand that the playoffs are a different kettle of fish altogether," Rossouw said.

"Things work in cycles and it looks like they've lost a bit of momentum, but they'll plan and come back well.

"They played well in the second half