Super 14 weekend preview - Highlanders, Hurricanes

BULLS v HIGHLANDERS
Pretoria, 4am tomorrow

A third consecutive win in South Africa would be huge for the Highlanders tomorrow, but they know they face an intensely physical Bulls at altitude.

The southerners beat the Cheetahs and Stormers in their last two Super 14 games, but coach Greg Cooper said playing the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld would be their biggest challenge yet.

"This is obviously the toughest of them all and if we can get a victory it would be a great foundation for us leading into the competition," he said yesterday.

The Bulls have been boosted with the return of Springbok lock Victor Matfield and hooker Gary Botha, who have been injured and are at full strength.

"He's [Matfield] extremely inspirational to them as leader and a player, so he will boost their side, and so will Gary Botha," Cooper said.

His team had trained hard in Port Elizabeth during the week and he was confident his lock combination were up to the task of combating Matfield.

"They have been playing exceptionally well. They're a young combination developing, our lineout has been good and it's got a lot to do with Anton Oliver, who has really been hitting the mark. That combination will be crucial again," Cooper said.

A win would only come if the entire team were on top of their game, but that recent form was encouraging.

"We're really starting to find combinations now. There's a good feel that the team are playing an all-round game, the forwards are doing their jobs and the backs are finishing well," he said. "We will have to be strong up front and try and nullify their strengths.

"The only way to beat the Bulls is to either match them up front or get an edge and then use the ball."

Following the Bulls game the Highlanders head home on Tuesday to prepare for their home game against the Sharks next Saturday.

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HURRICANES v STORMERS
Cape Town, 6.10am tomorrow

The Hurricanes will need to hold their intensity if they are to turn things around from last weekend's match and beat the Stormers in Cape Town tomorrow.

An under-strength Hurricanes side snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in giving up a 15-point lead well into the second half against the Cheetahs at Bloemfontein.

"Having such a good lead and letting the game slip was disappointing, so the intensity has to be right up there when we play the Stormers," coach Colin Cooper said yesterday.

Teammates Jerry Collins and Lome Fa'atau have been named in the team for Sunday's game, copping fines as opposed to stand-downs for fighting at a Bloemfontein nightclub after the game.

Lock Paul Tito and captain and No 8 Rodney So'oialo return to the side after sitting out last week's game through suspension.

In the backs, David Holwell starts instead of Jimmy Gopperth at first five-eighth, Tane Tu'ipulotu replaces the injured Tana Umaga at second five-eighth, and Isaia Toeava is back in at fullback for Shannon Paku.

"We obviously lost some experience in our backline [with Conrad Smith and Tana Umaga injured], so we're going for a bit more experience back there," Cooper said of the Holwell selection.

Toeava had been playing well and was back in the starting lineup after having been rested.

The Stormers were a big strong team and would also be bolstered with a couple of players returning from injury.

The Hurricanes had been training in Durban all week in temperatures consistently reaching 32C, which had been draining for the players, but they were getting used to it, Cooper said.

"That's part of the toughness of touring in this country, but I think we're all acclimatised now so there are no excuses."

- NZPA