Super 14 preview: The grand finale

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Judgement day is looming after 15 weeks of the 2009 Rebel Sport Super 14.

After 93 matches, the race to become champion comes down to just two teams at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld; the hosts, and the overwhelming favourites, the Bulls and New Zealand's never-say-die Chiefs.

It is just the Chiefs' first appearance in a Super Rugby final, with the location barely able to get any tougher.

Loftus Versfeld, on South Africa's high veldt, will be packed with a sell-out crowd of 50,000.

Up against them is a Bulls side featuring one of the strongest packs in the Super 14, aided by a great kicking game and a destructive duo taking their wing spots.

Here is how the Super 14 final shapes up:

SUNDAY:

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Kick-off: 3.30am (New Zealand time)

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

The grand final match-up will pit one of the closest individual rivalries in Super Rugby history. It be the 15th between the two sides since Super Rugby kicked off. All but three of the previous matches have been determined by margins of 12 points or less. This includes a 26-26 draw four years ago in Hamilton. It also includes the round-robin match between the two sides four weeks ago at the same venue, which saw the Bulls win by just six points.

That loss is the only one to have been suffered by the Chiefs from their last 11 matches, during a run which has seen them become the first team in Super Rugby's 14-year history to advance to the final after losing their first three matches of the season. The Waikato-based team, which departed for South Africa from Sydney on Monday, has won twice previously in Pretoria; in 1999 and 2001.

Last Friday night's semifinal, which was the Chiefs' record 10th victory of the season, came at a cost, sidelining Sitiveni Sivivatu with a dislocated shoulder. Also sidelined is All Black halfback hopeful Brendon Leonard and prop Ben May. And it is the latter who might be missed the most as the Chiefs prepare to combat the powerful Bulls pack.

The Bulls include 12 members of the playing staff who participated in the Bulls' maiden Super 12 final win two years ago. That collective experience should serve them well this time; as will their try-scoring form on home soil. The Bulls have scored 25 of their 40 tries to date in the competition from their seven previous matches at Loftus Versfeld. These statistics are similar to those posted by the side prior to their 2007 title; they had scored 45 tries at the same stage two years ago, but had that figure massively inflated by the 13 tries that were accumulated in one afternoon against the hapless Queensland Reds. By contrast, 21 of the 45 tries that have been scored by the Chiefs this year have been posted in matches on the road.

The match be an controlled by an all-South African team of match officials. Here's hoping Sanzar's decision to scrap neutrality in its match-officiating appointments doesn't back-fire on them on Sunday morning.

Super Rugby rules:

If the two teams are tied at the end of the final:

Twenty minutes of extra time will be played (10 minutes each way),

Injury time will be added to the 20 minutes of extra time,

If the two teams are tied at the end of extra time, they will be declared as joint winners.

Round-robin result: Bulls 33, Chiefs 27 at Pretoria, 26 April

Semifinals: Bulls 36-Crusaders 23 at Pretoria; Chiefs 14-Hurricanes 10 at Hamilton

Head to head record: Bulls 5 wins, Chiefs 8 wins, 1 draw

At Bulls' home venues: Bulls 5 wins, Chiefs 2 wins

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner; 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana; 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez; 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuun, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp. Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Rayno Gerber, Danie Rossouw, Pedrie Wannenburg, Heini Adams, Burton Francis, Marius Delport.

Chiefs: 15 Mils Muliaina (c), 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Callum Bruce, 11 Dwayne Sweeney, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Toby Morland, 8 Sione Lauaki, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Kevin O'Neill, 4 Craig Clarke, 3 James McGougan, 2 Aled de Malmanche, 1 Sona Taumalolo. Reserves: Hika Elliot, Joe Savage, Toby Lynn, Serge Lilo, David Bason, Mike Delany, Sosene Anesi.