Rugby: South African teams - Sharks and Bulls look the main challengers while others set for a struggle

Victor Matfield brings experience and dynamism to the Bulls' lineout. Photo / Stephen Parker

Bulls: Ninth last season

The Bulls may end up being a surprisingly different side in terms of style this year. The supremely talented Handrie Pollard is presumably going to be given the No 10 jersey and told to play his natural game.

That should see a better mix from the Bulls and a touch more adventure infiltrate the ranks. With Springbok hooker Adriaan Strauss having arrived from the Cheetahs and Victor Matfield ready for one last hurrah, the usually brilliant lineout will have the added dimension of a dynamic driving maul.

Will be hard to beat in Pretoria but their season will hinge on their ability to be as effective on the road.

Sharks: Third

Jake White has gone and former Springbok assistant Gary Gold has been installed as director of coaching.

A few European-based players - including Mouritz Botha and former England prop Matt Stevens - have also arrived. The squad looks the usual mix of rugged forwards such as Bismarck du Plessis and Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira who will be tough over the ball and a backline that has pace and defensive smarts.

Pat Lambie will know he has a serious rival in Pollard for his place in the Springbok squad and he'll be keen to show his authority as the Sharks' director.

Cheetahs: 14th

The Cheetahs will no doubt once again be South Africa's great entertainers. Their brand of football under coach Naka Drotske has been surprisingly un-South African.

They have a desire to move the ball wide and run from deep - which makes sense when they have Willie le Roux and Cornal Hendricks in their back three. Le Roux is one of the more gifted playmakers in world rugby, while Hendricks is a genuine finisher with raw power and pace.

They will play plenty of rugby but unlikely to win too many games.

Stormers: 11th

Only the Blues have been able to under achieve quite like the Stormers. They have a squad that is capable of going all the way but rarely find a way to string together a campaign all the way to the final.

Defensively they are the best in the business. That is, essentially, their game: a blue and white defensive wall goes up and they use that to frustrate and strangle opponents.

It's not enough, though and this year, if they are to challenge for the title, they need to do more. In Schalk Burger and Duane Vermeulen they have two running, ball-playing loose forwards and Damian de Allende is a rising talent in the backline.

The loss of captain Jean de Villiers to knee surgery is a major blow and they will miss his calming influence and tactical direction.

Lions: 12th

The Lions believe they are on the rise. They enjoyed their best season last year since they broke from the Cats in 2006 and followed that up by making the Currie Cup final.

Coach Johan Ackerman has pulled together players from all over the country - most of them unwanted elsewhere - and given them self-belief.

They have improved out of sight at the scrum and are more willing to keep the ball in hand and offload through the forwards.

But they still don't have much in the way of recognised names and consequently may well lack the depth to challenge at the upper half of the table.