Stormers' captain Corne Krige has likened the preparation for Saturday's crunch Super 12 game against the Sharks at Boland Stadium in Wellington to that of a Currie Cup final.
He said the match was one of the biggest games in the Stormers' Super 12 history. "I would compare the psychological preparation with that for a Currie Cup final. It's our last game; if we lose we're out. It's as simple as that. If things go well and we win we're possibly in the mix, so it's definitely like a final," the flanker said.
There is still some doubt about the participation of Krige, lock Hottie Louw and No 8 Bob Skinstad. Krige injured his hip at training on Wednesday, while the latter two sustained an ankle and hamstring injury respectively last Saturday against the Bulls.
Despite the acrimonious league games between the two teams the previous two years, Krige said he enjoys playing against the Sharks and doesn't expect the game to be as volatile as the one against the Cats earlier this year.
"I think just after we adopted the black kit and that was still bothering them there was a bit of needle in our games against them, but that has all blown over now. The two South African teams we always play a good game against are the Bulls and the Sharks," Krige commented.
"We don't mind playing them at all and I think the Sharks and Stormers are very much the same in their thinking and their approach to rugby."
Krige knows his pack needs to raise the levels of their game considerably if they still want to have a piece of the Super 12 action after Saturday. He has a healthy respect for the Sharks' forwards. "I think the Sharks have the best forwards in the competition, so it will be another huge challenge for our pack.
"But the thing with us is that we'll just have to match them up-front; we don't have to dominate them. We must just climb in and match them. If we can achieve that, we will be okay," Krige said, giving an indication of the massive trust he has in his potentially lethal backline.
The captain said he has full confidence in a lock pairing of John Slade and Quinton Davids if Louw is forced to sit out this important game. "I was very happy with them and they really did well against the Bulls last weekend.
"We also have a guy like Drikus Hancke in the squad now and I'm happy that he will be up for it if we need him. Quinton and John are two good locks and they will carry us. The thing is just that you want to have the guys who have brought you up to this point in the side for the last game.
"It is a big game though and one thing about the Super 12 is that you need to have depth and the replacement players must slot in without a hitch."
The Springbok squad will be announced at Wellington on Saturday after the game, but Krige said Springbok places are a non-issue. "We haven't discussed it at all. If I were the Springbok coach I would have thought you select a player on evidence of his form over eleven games," offered Krige.
"If he played badly the whole season and suddenly shines in the last two games, you may consider selecting him, but the Springbok team will be selected before the weekend's games. I think those games will be about team and individual pride. I don't think anybody is going to play for Springbok places. It is just a Super 12 game in which a lot is at stake."
The venue for the game doesn't bother Krige. "I think we would have had 50 000 people at Newlands and that would have been great. But as we experienced at George, there is a different atmosphere at a small stadium that's really packed, so we are looking forward to a great game," he said.