Rugby: South Africa's challenge is more than a load of Bulls

The Bulls will be out to repeat last year's success. Photo / Getty Images

If you focus the microscope over the Japie teams in this year's Super 14, the conclusion is that four of the five franchises will be better than they were last year, the exception being the Johannesburg-based Lions, who would be considered the manure of the African challenge if the Bulls and Stormers are shaping up to be the mink.

The Sharks, last year's favourites, have lost ground mostly because they do not have a quality No10 after the off-season loss of Pumas pivot Juan Hernandez (he went home to Buenos Aires for Christmas after the Currie Cup and never came back, claiming a back injury), while the Cheetahs have an improved starting XV, but as usual don't have the strength in numbers to last the marathon.

The rider for the solid-looking South Africans is that most Super rugby sides peak in the season before a World Cup year because the better players have stuck around, while the season after a World Cup tends to be all over the place as teams rebuild after the post-Cup exodus to Europe.

South Africa's challenge is relatively strong not only because World Cup wannabes are hanging around, but also because the country has at last overcome the fatal flaw of overhauling the teams annually.

The Bulls, Cheetahs, Sharks and Stormers have more or less the same management teams for the third year in a row, which is a miracle considering the revolving door national policy of the first decade of Super rugby.

The exception is the Lions where Dick Muir, the Springbok backline coach, is both a masochist and a reckless gambler for bravely attempting to sort out the Lions.

They have been a laughing stock and source of easy bonus points for visitors ever since the funereal-faced Laurie Mains departed after he coached them to the semifinals at the turn of the century (in the guise of the Cats).

Muir, after a two-year absence from Super rugby (he formerly coached the Sharks), has rescued the Lions from Eugene Eloff, the sweet fellow that the players loved throughout his three-year tenure and opposition coaches loved even more.

The Lions will do their best, as good Boy Scouts should, but in their first year under Muir they will struggle before rallying in 2011.

In terms of personnel, the South African squads show surprising consistency apart from the occasional domestic movement and the exit of three key Springboks in Francois Steyn (Sharks, to France), Jean de Villiers (Stormers, to Ireland) and Luke Watson (Stormers, to England), which has been countered to an extent by the Bulls luring back Gary Botha and Juandre Kruger, from England, and Jaco van der Westhuyzen, from Japan.

There have been a few big-name migrations within the country - Jaque Fourie from the Lions to the Stormers and Bryan Habana from the Bulls to the Stormers, while the Sharks have procured three Lions in the form of Willem Alberts, Louis Ludik and Gerhard Mostert, but for the most part the five squads are intact and will benefit from the rare consistency in personnel.

The Cheetahs have the perennial problem of insufficient resources to be consistently competitive. Once they pick up injuries, they are doomed. Before the season even kicks off they have been hit hard by the loss of talented No10 Jacque-Louis Potgieter to the Bulls and, like the Sharks, do not have a quality playmaker to make the most of a good pack.

The Cheetahs have fantastic flankers in current Boks Juan Smith, recovered from injury at last, and Heinrich Brussow, and their set scrum was arguably the best in the Currie Cup. They have an injection of flair at the back in the form of sevens stars Robert Ebersohn and Lionel Mapoe.

The Bulls have their 2009 championship-winning squad intact and tons of attitude to go with it after adding the Currie Cup to their trophy haul last October.

The Stormers have so often promised Cape Town the world and delivered nowt, but this year they seem to have the pack to provide possession for their classy backs.

PLAYER TO WATCH: JUAN DE JONGH

The Stormers centre is 21 and has toured with the Springboks (last November, without playing a test), but has not yet played a Super 14 match. Suffice to say, plenty is expected of the explosive No 12 after he starred at every age-group level and then had a very good Currie Cup last year.

The midfielder has the pace and distributive skill to augment his power, but what he lacks is the experience of the man he replaces, the respected Springbok Jean de Villiers. The latter was a massive crowd favourite at Newlands before departing for Munster and now De Jongh must rise to the challenge of filling his considerable boots.

He played well for the Emerging Boks against the touring British and Irish Lions in 2009 and this could now be a massive season for De Jongh, the Stormers and ultimately the Springboks.