VENUE & TIME: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, Friday February 24 @ 1710 local (Saturday 0410 NZDT)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 18; Northern Transvaal / Bulls 9, Natal / Sharks 7, drawn 2.
LAST TIME: June 18, 2011 (Pretoria) - Bulls 23-26 Sharks.
WALKING WOUNDED: The Bulls have to remodel their side after wholesale departures following the World Cup but do so with a core of experienced players. One old hand who will miss the first couple of months is flanker Dewaldt Potgieter, who was injured in the pre-season and required surgery and rehab. The Sharks are without Tendai Mtarawira for the first couple of months but they also have a solid core to build around. Most of the names in John Plumtree's first side are familiar and only loosehead prop Dale Chadwick is making his Super rugby debut this week.
FORM:
Bulls: The Bulls only played one pre-season game and beat the Cheetahs comfortably at Polokwane. Otherwise they were content to do their own thing in their own time, which has been something of a trademark approach in recent seasons. This year a new-look side, shorn of a host of veterans, has to do the hard yards with a number of players lacking experience in grinding out wins; any progress (or lack thereof) in that direction will tell us how the three-time champions will fare in 2012.
Sharks: The Sharks had two pre-season hit-outs against Vodacom Cup sides, beating Boland by 60 points and also doing it easily against the Southern Kings. As a result, it's very hard to get any meaningful idea of their form. They have also lost some old heads but in the Sharks case, it might mean better-performing players get a chance to dominate. Bismarck du Plessis is the obvious example, but Patrick Lambie as a fly-half is another who has been handed a prime opportunity.
WHO'S HOT: With a Bulls team that contains 11 former Springboks and nine new players to Bulls colours, Frans Ludeke named a team that covers both ends of the experience scale but has few players in the all-important middle ground. So his veterans will be critical, and every time that is said about the Bulls Morne Steyn's name comes up early. His ability to direct and control play will be vital, and his boot - by far the competition's most accurate for some time now - could provide the scoreboard balance. Flip van der Merwe has plenty of ability and now has to jump from third or fourth cab to number one lock; how far he can develop will play an important part in determining the Bulls fortunes. It's also time Pierre Spies lived up to his South African rating at No 8; he's fine when the team is going forward and dominating but needs to be a lot stronger this year when it's a bit tough.
The Sharks will look to the powerful du Plessis brothers up front and are likely to be well rewarded by the pair. Bismarck, now free of John Smit's long shadow, has every chance to establish himself as the Boks clear number one choice, while Jannie has a long record of strong performances at this level and higher. The Sharks also have a good loose trio and plenty of forward strength on the bench. Lambie will interest many spectators around the world,