Bragging rights in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship version ofsoccer's 'Merseyside derby' will be at stake when South African rivals theVodacom Bulls host the Emirates Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The60km highway that runs north-south between Pretoria and Johannesburg crossesthe Jukskei River, a natural border dividing two fierce rivals in the aptlynamed Jukskei derby.  

“The proximity of the teams plays a big part in it,” Jake Whitesaid of the red-versus-blue rivalry. “It’s probably a bit like the EnglishPremier League’s Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool. It’s a massivederby.”

White would know. The former Springbok coach, and current VodacomBulls director of rugby, cut his teeth coaching at Johannesburg boys highschools Parktown and Jeppe, and then progressed to the junior provincialstructures at Transvaal (now the Emirates Lions) before joining the Springboksas a video analyst prior to the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

“Obviously, people like to believe they have the biggest derby,but I suppose the reason there’s more history to the Jukskei derby is becauseNorthern Transvaal [now Vodacom Bulls] was a breakaway union from Transvaal.”

The split took place in 1938 when clubs that were originallyconsidered to be in the jurisdiction of Transvaal founded the NorthernTransvaal Rugby Union and legendary Springbok Danie Craven captained them to an11-11 draw against Free State in their first home game.

While Craven never made the trans-Jukskei switch in rugbyallegiance, there are many players who did.

“There are a lot of players who have moved back and forth between the unions over the years,” said White. “Guys like Uli Schmidt, HannesStrydom, Rudolf Straeuli, Johan Roux, Gavin Johnson, Chris and Charles Rossouw.

“Johan Ackermann was a Blue Bull who went to Transvaal and JannieBreedt is another one – he captained Transvaal in the Currie Cup final afterstarting at Northern Transvaal.”

Springbok centurion Bryan Habana experienced both sides of therivalry, swapping Ellis Park for Loftus Versfeld in 2005, as did Schalk Brits,Franco Mostert, Marvin Orie and South African born and raised Frenchinternational lock Paul Willemse.

Flank Cyle Brink, and centres Harold Vorster and Lionel Mapoe, arethree current Vodacom Bulls players in the running to face their former team onSaturday, while hooker Jaco Visagie and scrumhalf Andre Warner are twoUniversity of Pretoria graduates now playing for the Emirates Lions.

The Vodacom Bulls opened the season with a 31-15 victory over theEmirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park but are coming off their first homeloss in the Vodacom URC, whilethe Emirates Lions have banked three wins on the road this season.

The Emirates Lions beat fourth-placed Glasgow last week andsuccess at Loftus Versfeld is vital to keep alive their hopes of climbing intothe Vodacom URC play-offs racefrom 12^th place.The Vodacom Bulls (6^th) are determined to take advantage ofGlasgow’s slip-up to improve their chances of clinching a home quarter-finalthrough a top-four finish.

However, these objectives will quickly evaporate into the thinrarified air at Loftus Versfeld when the kick-off sails deep and form becomessecondary to another chapter in this rich local rivalry.