- Cape Town's deputy mayor Eddie Andrews said his support lies firmly with the Stormers when they play the Bulls on Saturday.
- The storied North/South derby will take place in the form of the United Rugby Championship final at the Cape Town Stadium.
- Andrews applauded the team and the coaching staff for keeping their heads above water despite the turmoil in their rugby region.
Cape Town's deputy mayor Eddie Andrews has made it clear that his allegiance will be with the Stormers ahead of Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) final when his former side hosts the Bulls.
Andrews represented the Stormers between 2003 and 2007, with his excellent form in 2004 earning 23 Tests that stretched the entirety of Jake White's Springbok coaching tenure from 2004 to 2007.
White's now the director of rugby at the Bulls and they stand in the way of giving the Cape Town Stadium a new rugby lease of life.
"I'm very happy to state where my allegiance lies and it goes with the home team. I have no issues declaring that," Andrews said.
"Ulster was a very tough encounter, but when your home team pulls through, it's very exciting to see and experience.
"I may have played for them, but by being a resident and supporting them through the good and the bad times, that's been the most important thing."
Andrews was part of the last functional "Men In Black" Stormers side in 2004 when they reached the Super 12 semi-finals.
The Stormers didn't reach another semi-final until 2010 and by then, they'd traded their black for navy, which has now become dark blue.
Andrews said getting to where the Stormers are has taken a lot of hard work
"I'm reminded of the hard work that goes into getting this far in a tournament; to get yourself into a position to compete for a championship," Andrews said.
"It's a massive achievement and all those training sessions have now come to fruition in a final against the Bulls.
"For any player, it's a long road, but a deserved one that they'd long for, but it's also a triumph in implementation."
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Andrews said the Stormers' season should be regarded as a success, regardless of whether they win the final against their old enemy.
Andrews also credited the players and coaching staff for keeping calm heads despite the administrative chaos the Western Province Rugby Football Union has been embroiled in.
"I think this season has been a success and not because there's a trophy in the cabinet, but the old faithful has returned to support the Stormers," Andrews said.
"That, to me, has instilled a sense of pride that's been evident in the past couple of weeks, so as an ex-player, it's comforting to see the return of the support for the team.
"Credit must go to the coaching staff. They've taken a side that doesn't have the biggest of names and they've rallied them superbly.
"It’s testament to their coaching pedigree and the hunger the players have. They've also been able to ignore the boardroom matters and just play."