Preview: Currie Cup Round 11
The big clash of the weekend takes place in Johannesburg where the high-riding Golden Lions take on a rejuventated Blue Bulls side.
The big clash of the weekend takes place in Johannesburg where the high-riding Golden Lions take on a rejuventated Blue Bulls side.
Both teams are on a high after last week's matches. The Bulls caused an upset when they beat Western Province 28-20 in Pretoria and the Lions widened the gap in the standings after their 43-23 home win over the Leopards.
The home side's recent run of good form and the defeats suffered by their closest rivals, WP and the Sharks, mean that they have opened a 10 point gap on the two coastal sides who are both on 32 points.
Despite beating the Lions at home and away last year, the Bulls suffered a 36-27 defeat when these teams met on 6 August at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Another important match takes place in Cape Town, where Western Province host the Free State Cheetahs. Both sides have thrilled crowds with running rugby throughout the season, so expect plenty of end-to-end action in this encounter.
The weekend's two other fixtures take place on Friday, with strugglers the Pumas and the Leopards doing battle in Nelspruit, while defending champions the Sharks host Griquas in Durban.
Fixtures:
Friday, 23 September
Pumas v Leopards, Sharks v Griquas
Saturday, 24 September
Lions v Blue Bulls, Western Province v Free State Cheetahs
Standings:
1. Golden Lions 42
2. Western Province 32
3. Sharks 32
4. Cheetahs 30
5. Griquas 25
6. Blue Bulls 24
7. Pumas 10
8. Leopards 5
Previews:
Pumas v Leopards
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
The weekend's action gets underway with a clash between the competition's two bottom-placed teams.
The Pumas finally registered their first win of their campaign when they beat Griquas 34-31 in Kimberley last week.
Although that win will give them confidence ahead of their encounter with the Leopards, they should not underestimate their opponents who beat them 27-15 in Potchefstroom in the corresponding fixture on 5 August.
Leopards coach Leon Boshoff has been struggling with injuries but he believes his charges can beat the Pumas again.
“With all our injuries, this game against the Pumas will be a very big test of character, but we've shown a lot of character so far this season and I'm confident the guys can do it again,” said Boshoff.
Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse reckons his side have the ability to beat the Leopards but warned against complacency.
“We can't afford to underestimate them [the Leopards] again, like we did last time,” Stonehouse said.
“It will be easier on our home field, but it is important that we keep the momentum from last week's win,” he added.
Prediction: After their momentous win against Griquas, the Pumas will be high on confidence for this clash and should pull of their second successive victory. The Leopards will not make things easy for them though, so expect a close, hard fought-battle. Pumas by five!
The teams:
Pumas: 15 MJ Mentz, 14 Wilhelm Loock, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Siviwe Magaba, 11 Johan Jackson, 10 Coenie van Wyk, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Christo le Roux, 7 Jaco Bouwer, 6 Corné Steenkamp (c), 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Willem Serfontein, 3 Brett Nel, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Replacements: 16 Marthinus van der Westhuizen, 17 Michael de Nieully Rice, 18 Eduan van der Walt, 19 JP Mostert, 20 Hendrik van der Nest, 21 Dewald Pretorius, 22 Carl Bezuidenhout.
Leopards: 15 George Tossel, 14 Hoffmann Maritz, 13 Charl Weideman, 12 Joubert Engelbrecht (c), 11 Jovan Bowles, 10 Wesley Dunlop, 9 Johann Laker, 8 Robert Kruger, 7 Luvuyiso Lusaseni, 6 Philip de Wet, 5 Bradley Mockford, 4 Brendon Snyman, 3 Bêrend Botha, 2 Gavin Williamson, 1 Jean Rossouw.
Replacements: 16 Stoffel Duvenhage, 17 Dewald Coetzee, 18 Bêrend Botha, 19 Philip de Wet, 20 Johann Laker, 21 Clayton Durand, 22 George Tossel.
Kick-off:19:00 (17:00 GMT)
Referee: Pro Legoete
Sharks v Griquas
Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Expect a big backlash from the Sharks after their 53-32 defeat to the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last week.
With WP facing a tricky hurdle against the Cheetahs in Cape Town a day later, the Sharks will go all out to beat Griquas convincingly to put extra pressure on their closest rivals on the table.
Sharks assistant coach Hugh Reece-Edwards knows how important it is for his team to clinch a big win in their quest for a home semi-final.
“We can't go into the play-offs performing poorly. We are still in the top three and that's after playing both good and bad rugby. That shows that we have something, but we've also let ourselves down at times, and now we just need to get that belief back,” he said.
“We haven't been looking at the opposition and what they're doing on the log, we need to find our own way and if we want to win this competition, we need to do better.
“I think Griquas will come down here desperate for the win that would keep them in line to secure a top four spot and they will come with the added confidence brought about by the fact that they beat us in the first round and quite convincingly. Making the semi-finals would be a huge thing for them,” added Reece-Edwards.
Prediction:The Sharks have a point to prove and will be keen to make amends for their poor performance against the Cheetahs. They should win this clash by the biggest winning margin of the weekend Sharks by 18!
The teams:
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Sibusiso Sithole, 13 Marius Joubert, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Keegan Daniel (c), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Eugene van Staden, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Dale Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Ross Skeate, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 Louis Ludik.
Griquas: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Dusty Noble, 13 Wilmaure Louw, 12 Matthew Rosslee, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Earl Rose, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Jonathan Mokuena (c), 7 Davon Raubenheimer, 6 Justin Downey, 5 Frikkie Spies, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Ryno Barnes, 1 Ivann Espag.
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Steph Roberts, 18 Leon Karemaker, 19 Marnus Schoeman, 20 Hanno Coetzee, 21 Monty Dumond, 22 Rudi Vogt.
Kick-off:19:10 (17:10 GMT)
Referee: Jason Jaftha
Golden Lions v Blue Bulls
Coca-Cola Park Stadium, Johannesburg
The Blue Bulls will have their tails up after their impressive win over second-placed WP and must fancy their chances against their neighbours, the Lions.
This clash is an important one for both teams as the Lions are keen to consolidate their