How about Marcell Coetzee, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom against Phepsi Buthelezi, Emmanuel Tshituka and Siya Kolisi?
That is a possibility when the Bulls travel to Durban to tackle the Sharks at Kings Park in tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship showdown (6pm start), and it’s a battle that could have a major bearing on the outcome.
South Africa have always been blessed with outstanding loose forwards, and it’s no different for the Bulls and Sharks.
But this weekend, the Pretoria side are hurting from two consecutive Champions Cup defeats, to Saracens away and Harlequins at Loftus Versfeld.
In contrast, the Sharks kept their big names at home for last weekend’s 53-16 loss to Leicester in England, after they saw off Exeter 39-21 in Durban a week earlier.
So, the likes of Springbok captain Kolisi and company will be waiting to pounce on a wounded Bulls outfit tomorrow – and the visitors are anticipating a tenacious breakdown battle.
“n the loose-forward play, if we can get the advantage, it will make it a bit easier for us. But there are many factors involved. You are playing against players who have got experience of World Cups and Rugby Championships,” the experience Coetzee said.
“So, I know it will take much more than just that aspect of the game (for the Bulls to win). You must have a strong set-piece on the day, we must handle their kicking game.
“We will have to deal with the fans in the stadium, as there is going to be big numbers coming.
“You want to measure yourself against the best, and they really have world-class loose forwards there.
“A guy like Siya loves to impose himself at the breakdown, and he will enjoy that.”
The major shortcoming for the Bulls from last weekend’s 30-21 loss to Northampton was their poor finishing, as they were unable to convert a number of 22-metre entries into tries.
Captain Louw opted for touch when taking the three points on offer may have been a better option, but Coetzee was adamant that the Bulls will be much more decisive at Kings Park.
“I actually spoke about it (the finishing) with David Kriel today. If you look at the final score, it doesn’t actually really reflect what we did,” the 33-year-old Springbok flank said.
“We had the most possession, we won the territory battle – but like Elrigh rightly said, we couldn’t turn that into more points.
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“That affected the mood of the team later in the game, because we built up so many phases, and then it’s a simple knock-on here and a loose pass there.
“Our players have to take it on the chin, and we’ve had straight talks with each other this week. We know that it’s not our standard.
“He (Louw) is the captain on the day, but he surrounds himself with strong leadership – so I think we all got it wrong on the day.
“We were kind of being our own enemy on the same day.
“Elrigh has been the captain of the team a couple of times, has a strong personality and a good head on him.
“But some things you can’t buy, and that sometimes is experience. But he’ll get there – he’ll get a feel to make a call, and whether or not to do this and that.
“We will empty the tank this weekend. It’s the last game of the year, and the guys are motivated to bounce back from the serious setbacks that we’ve had.”