Most of the talk in the buildup to the first South African derbies in this edition of the Vodacom URC has centred around the top players who are coming back into the respective teams after missing the opening rounds due to their Springbok commitments.
However, it is two very talented and yet young and inexperienced players who may hold the key to the result of the biggest game to be happening locally so far this season - the coastal derby between the DHL Stormers and the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Cape Town. The DHL Stadium contest will see two teams featuring several of the players who starred in the Boks’ win over the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series pitted against each other, and understandably, that is what is driving interest and selling the game.
But with the Stormers welcoming back the first-choice Boks in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse in two key positions at the back, flyhalf and fullback respectively, it isn’t hard to pinpoint the possible point of difference between the two teams.
While both packs are strong, and the scrums alone will be worth the price of the admission ticket to the game, there is a chance the two forward units will cancel each other out, achieving parity in the possession battle, in which case it is at the back that this game will probably be decided. As it is with modern rugby, the aerial contest and the ability of the players to profit from what comes from that could well determine the winner.
In the first two weeks of the URC, there was a lot of focus on the new wave of youngsters coming through, and in their first game against the Ospreys, the Sharks thrived off the energy and talent of the likes of Luan Giliomee, Vusi Moyo and Jurenzo Julius. Giliomee has now gone to the Vodacom Bulls and has been replaced in the Sharks’ last line of defence by another 19-year-old, Zekhethelo Siyaya.
The news you have been waiting for 📰 The Hollywoodbets Sharks are locked in for Saturday’s coastal derby against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town 🦈⛈️ Andre Esterhuizen captains the side as the Sharks go in search of a third straight @Vodacom #URC win. 📍 DHL Stadium 🗓️ Saturday, 10 October ⏰ 16:00 #SharksRugbyClub #BlackWhiteForever #HollywoodbetsSharks #STOvSHA
— Sharks Rugby Club (@SharksRugby) October 8, 2026
NOT NEW, BUT FOR MOYO AND SIYAYA, THIS IS A MASSIVE TEST
Siyaya is not new to the role as he played fullback and indeed flyhalf for a few of the Sharks’ games that ended last season. Moyo, the 2025 Junior Springbok flyhalf when they won the Junior World Championship, is just a year older than Siyaya, and the extent of his talent can be ascertained by the fact that he has already been capped as a Springbok by Rassie Erasmus.
And yet, while Moyo played for the Boks against Wales in the Nations Championship back in July and also against the All Blacks in the RGR tour game in August, this game, given who is wearing the No 10 of the opposition team, feels like his biggest test to date.
The Wales test was a scrappy affair played on a humid day, and the Boks, as would be expected, comprehensively won the forward contest. The game was played at Moyo’s home ground, Hollywoodbets Kings Park. As was the case when he faced the All Blacks, which, given how the young Sharks team was outplayed, can’t really be held up as an example of anyone passing any kind of examination. A scoreline of 54-0 against you on a wet night isn’t a good look, no matter the angle you view it from.
On Saturday, Moyo is playing at an away venue in front of what should be a massive crowd, mostly urging on the opposition. DHL Stadium is not a place for the faint-hearted when you are playing the Stormers, and it is a time to stand up and be counted. And when the incumbent Bok flyhalf is pulling the tactical strings of the opposing team, the chasm when it comes to top-level experience between you and him could just be a point of difference.
It is the same with Siyaya. He was mostly good in the games he played for the Sharks at the end of last season, but the Sharks were out of the running for anything significant after a poor URC season, and it was the likes of the two Italian teams that closed off their respective insipid campaigns by visiting Durban that he stood out against.
Willemse, like Feinberg-Mngomezulu, is the clear No 1 in his position in the country at the moment. Possibly the world. The Stormers can expect him to be dependable in the aerial battle; they can expect Feinberg-Mngomezulu and his fellow frontline Bok Cobus Reinach to make the right decisions and measure up in the heat of the kind of derby atmosphere that the two Sharks youngsters will be experiencing for the first time.
MUCH POSITIVITY BUT SHARKS STILL HAVE IT ALL TO DO
In many ways, Moyo and Siyaya are in the same position as their team heading into what is really the first proper test they will face in the revival everyone is talking about and, no doubt, also hoping for. Rugby appears to be becoming the main thing in Durban again; the rugby people and marketing people, and the recruitment department and coaches, are more aligned than in the past.
But the reality is that it is a bit premature to be sending out gushing press releases championing the strides that have been made on the evidence of two games. Who expected the Sharks to lose at home to the Ospreys? And while there were good elements to their win over Leinster last week, it is my understanding that their coach Leo Cullen went into the game more in hope than with any expectation of winning after selecting a team sprinkled with unknown players.
The Sharks should have been expected to get the result they did last week. In fact, given that they had Boks coming back into their system, it would have been realistic to expect them to win by more than they did. This trip to Cape Town is different. Everyone knows the players they are up against. And if they do stand up and win against those opponents, and the youngsters at fullback and flyhalf pass their respective individual tests, then there’s a lot more to go on when talking about a new era of success beckoning in Durban.
A SIMILAR THEME IN PRETORIA
There’s a similar theme to the other local derby to be played this weekend, with the Vodacom Bulls welcoming back several top Springboks into their matchday 23 for the clash with the 10Bet Lions. It is the first game of the season for the Bulls at Loftus, and they will want to produce the type of performance that will ensure the fans come back and start clicking the Loftus turnstiles.
Hanro Liebenberg leads the Bulls for the first time, which is an indicator that not all the top players are playing in this game, and unlike Stormers director of rugby John Dobson, and a bit more like Sharks coach JP Pietersen the previous week, the Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has decided against risking cohesion problems that could be implicit in bringing all the Boks back into the starting team at the same time.
It has led to a situation where what is noticeable is the depth on the Bulls bench, where you will find Marco van Staden, who, like Deon Fourie in Cape Town, looks to be covering hooker, Cobus Wiese, Elrigh Louw and Handre Pollard.
This isn’t a day where Ackermann is really looking to expose youngsters in the way Pietersen is against the Stormers (Matt Ramao is playing No 6 for the Sharks at the DHL Stadium), with Giliomee having to wait his turn before making his Bulls debut.
Given the identity of the players in the back three - Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie and Sebastian de Klerk, that is not surprising, and it does make you wonder if Giliomee has made the right decision in switching from a club where he would have been the clear first choice at fullback this season.
The young gun player represented in the Bulls team is Junior Bok wing Cheswill Jooste, who plays off the bench. Talking of Junior Boks, Batho Helakani makes his return to the Lions team after missing out last week against the Ospreys, but will play from the bench, as will another star loose-forward in Siba Mahashe.
Vodacom URC round three previews and predictions
Glasgow Warriors v Connacht (Glasgow, Friday, 20.45)
Glasgow were held to a draw at home by Ulster last weekend, so they will be on red alert when they host another Irish team, this time Connacht, who stood up well last week from their opening defeat at home to the Stormers by winning away in Treviso.
Prediction: Glasgow to win by 7
Dragons v Ospreys (Newport, Friday 20.45)
The Ospreys are back from their tour to South Africa, where they got just the one bonus point for scoring four tries against the Sharks. The Dragons have been a bit of a surprise package so far, winning comfortably last week against the Scarlets and drawing with Benetton. That makes them favourites at home.
Prediction: Dragons to win by 9
Vodacom Bulls v 10Bet Lions (Pretoria, Saturday 13.30)
The Lions have won both games they’ve played, but you get the feeling they have yet to properly hit their stride. If they do, then a repeat of last year’s win at Loftus is a distinct possibility, particularly if there are any cohesion issues for the Bulls as they welcome back their Boks. The Bulls have depth to their squad and a strong bench.
Prediction: Bulls to win by 7
Zebre v Edinburgh (Parma, Saturday 16.00)
Edinburgh were a bit lucky last week to run into a Stormers team that was in a freakishly charitable mood when it came to the lineouts, but they should start as favourites to continue their opening winning streak when they visit Parma for their first game against an Italian team. The Scottish/Italian Shield sees the Scottish and Italian teams play each other twice each.
Prediction: Edinburgh to win by 10
DHL Stormers v Hollywoodbets Sharks (Cape Town, Saturday 16.00)
John Dobson’s decision to return his Boks en masse might make this a bit more difficult to call than it might otherwise have been were we more sure of the continuity there’d be if this team had played a few games together. The Stormers do look better equipped than the Sharks, but there could be cohesion issues. And the Stormers obviously can’t afford a repeat of their lineout issues from a week ago, as that blunts one of their biggest strengths, being the maul. The contestable kicking battle could be an even bigger determinant of who wins, and Ethan Hooker has an important role to play for the Sharks against a Stormers team that should have Damian Willemse and their two wings in good ball-winning form.
Prediction: Stormers to win by 7
Ulster v Munster (Belfast, Saturday 18.30)
Munster won against the Bulls last week, but they are struggling with off-field issues that could make them vulnerable in this first Irish derby game of the new season.
Prediction: Ulster to squeak it.
Scarlets v Benetton (Llanelli, Saturday 18.30)
What is up with Benetton? The Italians appeared to be properly on the rise the season before last, but much of that momentum has disappeared. They should have enough to beat the Scarlets, even away from home, or they are in big trouble.
Prediction: Benetton to win by less than 7
Leinster v Cardiff Rugby (Dublin, Saturday 20.45)
Leinster need to stand up after losing twice in South Africa with, let’s be honest, what looked in large part to be an academy team. They need to focus less on building now and more on winning and that serious mood should see them to a comfortable win in Dublin.
Prediction: Leinster to win by 10 or more.