Blue Bulls v Sharks: Battle of Loftus
As the only unbeaten team left in the tournament, the Sharks, face a stern test when they travel to Pretoria to play the Blue Bulls.
John Plumtree's men followed up their narrow win over Western Province, in the season opener, with another triumph over the Golden Lions last week and will try to maintain their momentum against Pine Pienaar's charges.
The weekend's action kicks off when the Free State Cheetahs make the short trip from Bloemfontein to Kimberley to face neighbours Griquas on Saturday.
The home side are under pressure as they are the only team who have not registered a win yet this season after defeats to the Blue Bulls and Western Province in their opening games.
The third fixture sees Western Province facing the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
WP are on a high after that win over Griquas while the home side are keen to return to their winning ways after slipping up against the Sharks last week.
Fixtures:
Saturday, 25 August
Griquas v Free State Cheetahs
Golden Lions v Western Province
Blue Bulls v Sharks
Standings:
1. Sharks 8
2. Golden Lions 5
3. Western Province 5
4. Blue Bulls 4
5. Free State Cheetahs 4
6. Griquas 1
Previews:
Griquas v Free State Cheetahs
GWK Park, Kimberley
The Cheetahs will be brimming with confidence following their 32-18 win over the Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein last week, and they will no doubt be bolstered by the return of fly-half Johan Goosen following a lengthy injury-enforced lay-off.
Goosen was one of the stars of the Cheetahs' Super Rugby campaign before his shoulder knock cut his participation in that tournament short.
But the men from Bloemfontein are not a one-man show and apart from Goosen they possess other attacking threats like scrum-half Sarel Pretorius whose sniping breaks around the fringes of the rucks will be a concern for Griquas coach Pote Human and his players.
Another Cheetahs player to keep an eye on is veteran loose forward Kabamba Floors who impressed at number eight against the Blue Bulls last week.
A key man for Griquas is their full-back Willie le Roux who is one of the most devastating attackers in the competition. He has plenty to prove after missing the clash with WP through suspension.
Up front the battle in the scrums will be interesting to watch. Free State's Trevor Nyakane, Marcel van der Merwe and Hercu Liebenberg are a young front-row and their duel with the Griquas trio of Lourens Adriaanse, Steph Roberts and Griquas skipper Ryno Barnes could have a huge bearing on the end result.
Prediction:The Cheetahs have plenty of quality players and the return of Goosen should give them the edge in what could be the most entertaining match of the weekend. Griquas will not go down without a fight but Cheetahs to win by seven!
The teams:
Griquas: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Stefan Watermeyer, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Wesley Wilkins, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Ligtoring Landman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Ryno Barnes (c), 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Matt Dobson, 17 Janro van Niekerk, 18 Ivann Espag, 19 Frikkie Spies, 20 Chase Minnaar, 21 Marnus Hugo, 22 Marnitz Boshoff.
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Rayno Benjamin, 13 Robert Ebersohn (c), 12 Barry Geel, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Kabamba Floors, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Frans Viljoen, 5 Andries Ferreira, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Hercu Liebenberg, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Elandre Huggett, 17 Schalk van der Merwe, 18 Francois Uys, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Tewis du Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Nico Scheepers.
Kick-off:15:00 (14:00 GMT, 13:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Joubert
Golden Lions v Western Province
Coca-Cola Park Stadium, Johanesburg
Despite their woes off the field Lions coach Johann Ackermann has instructed his players to concentrate on their Currie Cup campaign and beating Western Province is their main priority at the moment.
"We've got a job at hand and that is to play against Province, and I asked them if they are not good enough to focus on that they must tell me," he said.
"But it looks like the team has begun to focus on the job that is at hand."
Last week's loss to the Sharks stung Ackermann and his charges and they will be highly motivated to get back to their winning ways.
They received a boost when Springbok squad member Elton Jantjies returned for Currie Cup duty earlier in the week. The fly-half's combination with Butch James, who moves to inside centre, to accommodate his team-mate could play a crucial role in determining the outcome of this match.
WP have also received a shot in the arm when flanker Siya Kolisi and centre Juan Jongh were released from their Springbok duties to play in the Currie Cup.
After their loss to the Sharks in their season opener in Cape Town Allister Coetzee's troops claimed an important win against Griquas in Kimberley last week.
Another away victory will be a tremendous confidence booster at this early stage of the season.
Prediction:The Lions showed in their victory over the Cheetahs in round one that they will not be pushovers at their home ground. WP, however, have experienced players in key positions and should just edge them out.WP by three!
The teams:
Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 JR Esterhuizen, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Butch James, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondisio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Josh Strauss, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (c).
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Willie Britz, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 Deon Helberg, 22 Ruan Combrinck.
Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Ederies Arendse, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Tyrone Holmes, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Don Armand, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Deon Fourie (c), 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Dewald Duvenhage, 21 JP du Plessis, 22 Kurt Coleman.
Kick-off:17:05 (16:05 BST, 15:05 GMT)
Referee: Stuart Berry
Blue Bulls v Sharks
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
The Blue Bulls want to return to the victory trail after they were ambushed in Bloemfontein last week.
Playing at home will give Pine Pienaar's men confidence and a lot will depend on the effort of their forwards, who face a Sharks pack which has been impressive in their earlier matches.
Captain Dewald Potgieter, who withdrew shortly before their loss to the Cheetahs last week, is back to lead the side while unsettled centre Johan Sadie makes his Currie Cup debut.
Sadie's an explosive player who is exciting with ball in hand and it will be interesting to see how he plays at this level after enduring an unhappy Super Rugby campaign.
The Sharks, despite being disrupted by the loss of hooker Craig Burden, who has been called up to tour with the Springbok team in Argentina, will go to Loftus Versfeld full of confidence that they can register the third consecutive win of their campaign.
The men from KwaZulu-Natal will also be heartened by the fact that they came away with a famous win the last time they played the Blue Bulls in a Currie Cup match in Pretoria - a 39-27 victory last September.
The Sharks are a well-balanced team with a solid set of forwards and a back-line with several potent attacking weapons.
The midfield duel between Sadie and SA U20 stalwart Paul Jordaan could be one of the highlights of this match.
Prediction:The Blue Bulls seldom put in a poor performance in front of their home supporters but this Sharks team is brimming with confidence after their fine start to the season.Sharks to win by five points.
The teams:
The Sharks:15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Marius Joubert, 11 S'bura Sithole, 10 Riaan Viljoen, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Jacques Botes, 7 Jean Deysel (c) 6 Francois Kleinhans, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Monde Hadebe, 1 Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Julian Redelinghuys, 18 Jandre Marais, 19 Lubabalo "Tera" Mtembu, 20 Brynard Stander, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Gouws Prinsloo.
Blue Bulls: 15 Jürgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Clayton Blommetjies, 10 Louis Fouchè, 9 Ruan Snyman, 8 Dewald Potgieter (c), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Replacements: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Cornell Hess, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Rudy Paige, 21 Lionel Cronjè, 22 Jan Serfontein.
Kick-off:19:10 (18:10 BST, 17:10 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
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