The Highlanders are in Cape Town to take on the Stormers in what should be yet another very attractive game of rugby at Newlands on Saturday.

The Stormers' rise from log bottom to semifinal contenders has been well documented, and Newlands is once again abuzz on Saturdays, with fans feasting on the sumptuous fare that the team is currently serving up.

However, they will once again have their work cut out for them when they run out against the Highlanders, who can be more than a handful on their day.

The South Islanders might currently occupy a lowly 12th position on the log, but they have been highly competitive in most of their matches this season - their bonus point tally of seven shows just how many times they were a whisker away from victory.

The Dunedin-based franchise had to rebuild in a big way this season, after losing a multitude of players to European and other pastures after their previous Super 14 campaign.

This meant a bleak outlook for this year, as team management were forced to blood inexperienced youngsters all over the park.

The Highlanders did manage to retain the services of flank and captain Craig Newby, and their rugged All Black scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan, who was handed the vice-captaincy of the squad.

We caught up with Cowan at the Highlanders team hotel in Cape Town, where the tough-as-nails scrumhalf revealed his thoughts on the All Blacks number nine jersey, the bullying Bulls and the upcoming match against the Stormers.

Cowan was sporting a black eye and a number of stitches on his brow, a dead giveaway that he is fresh from a Loftus clash.

"As you can see I'm pretty banged up," he joked wryly. "It was a pretty good occasion, I always enjoy playing the Bulls at Loftus. They certainly weren't any different [this time] with their bullying tactics.

"We never got off to a good start, and it was a disappointing loss for us. We're hurting as a bunch at the moment, so it was disappointing on that front," said Cowan, who fronted up well against the Bulls despite his team going down 47-17.

The scrumhalf also felt that the Bulls had an extra point to prove after their embarrassing capitulation against the Hurricanes the week before, and noticed a large improvement in the overall effort from Pretoria boys.

"They've had a lot going on over the last month or two. There's been talk of their coach [being under pressure], players injured and players out of form, so I'm sure they had a lot to prove. In saying that, we let them play to their potential and that was disappointing on our behalf," said Cowan.

The Highlanders have based themselves firmly in Cape Town for the next two weeks, and Cowan reveals a real soft spot for the Mother City.

"Yeah, we totally enjoy Cape Town! We were up in Durban for the first week, and we travelled to Pretoria the day before the game. We've been down in Cape Town since Sunday, so we're definitely enjoying it down here.

"We're here for the next two weeks - we play the Stormers on Saturday, and then head out the next Friday to play the Cheetahs out in Bloem before we fly back home. I've been out here [twice] now. Cape Town tends to be a lot more like home, a more homely environment, and it's something that the boys enjoy," he said.

After that match against the Cheetahs, Cowan and co. will meet home rivals the Blues and the Crusaders in their final two matches. One might expect some extra feeling going into these clashes, as the Highlanders would presumably be out for some derby-style payback.

But the stocky number nine feels much more neutral about the issue, and expects it to be no different from any match in the tournament.

"Personally, and as a group, it's not something we look at as a 'grudge match', the last two games against the Blues and the Crusaders," stated Cowan.

"I think every team in the Super 14 is a tough team. There are no easy games. You've got to take each game as it comes, week in and week out. I think first things first with the Stormers this week, then the Cheetahs, and the Crusaders and the Blues. We'll take it one week at a time, and then go on from there.

"It's something we enjoy too, playing against the New Zealand sides. It's good to gauge ourselves against other New Zealand franchises."

Of course, those clashes are still in the distant future, and the Highlanders' focus will for now be firmly aimed at the Stormers and Saturday's battle, as Cowan confirms.

"To tell you the truth, I've only had a quick glimpse of them, but they look very sharp. They've come off some impressive wins, and I think they're pretty strong across the park. They've got some sharp backs, and they've got our old friend Tony Brown in there - I'm sure he's telling them a lot too.

"They're going to be very tough, aren't they? It's something the boys are looking forward to, playing in front of 45 000 people at Newlands, and it should be quite an occasion come Saturday."

Cowan is known as a very physical scrumhalf with many fighting qualities. He is tall for a number nine - very much in the Joost van der Westhuizen mould - and with Byron Kelleher swapping his All Black jersey for a Toulouse jumper, the race is certainly on for the scrumhalf berth in the New Zealand national team.

But the good-humoured Cowan has a simple philosophy on his chances of taking over that position.

"The halfback spot is certainly up for grabs at the moment, with Byron [Kelleher] gone, and no-one's got a hold on the jersey, so it's a great opportunity for me to press a claim.

"It's tough - they don't tend to give the jersey away. As I said, I just take each week as it comes, and I don't look too far ahead - it's not the kind of guy I am. I just like to get on with business week in week out. And if I do that, hopefully things will take care of themselves."

And does he feel he could have had a better chance of an All Black spot if he was playing in a team that won every week?

"Not at all. It's a true test of your character, I think, and it probably sums up my motto - I'm a fighter, and a great believer in that.

"No, I think the forwards have been going great guns this year, and they've been giving me plenty of good ball, so there are no qualms on that front."

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