Preview: Currie Cup, Round Three

A rematch of last year's final tops the bill this weekend as the Cheetahs visit Loftus Versfeld while the Griquas host the Lions.

A rematch of last year's final tops the Currie Cup bill this weekend as the Cheetahs visit Loftus Versfeld while the Griquas host the Lions.

After just two rounds, incredibly, just one team remains unbeaten in the competition. Western Province lead the way and will expect to stay at the top of the standings after their road trip to Potchefstroom where they face the Leopards.

The weekend's action starts in Durban where the Sharks will be looking for a bonus point win over the Pumas and thus challenge WP for the early championship lead.

The Sharks captain and former Springbok veteran Stefan Terblanche will make his 100th Currie Cup appearance on Friday, another milestone for one of the most likeable characters in South African rugby.

Fixtures:

Friday, July 23

Sharks v Pumas
Leopards v Western Province

Saturday, July 24

Griquas v Lions
Blue Bulls v Cheetahs

Standings:

1 Western Province 8
2 Sharks 7
3 Blue Bulls 6
4 Griquas 6
5 Lions 5
6 Cheetahs 5
7 Pumas 5
8 Leopards 0
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Previews:

Friday, July 23

Sharks v Pumas

After a false start in Kimberley, the Sharks hit their straps against the defending champion Blue Bulls in Durban last week and showed they will be a force to be reckoned with this year.

Most notable was their ability to use first phase ball to control the game against a side known for being strong in the set pieces.

The Pumas will be equally encouraged by their win over the Leopards, but a trip to ABSA Stadium, where the hosts have lost just two games in two years, is unlikely to offer up any championship points.

Sharks coach John Plumtree has rewarded the team that scored five tries against the Blue Bulls last weekend by retaining the same starting line-up.

Only one change has been made to the bench, with big ball-carrying Willem Alberts making his much-anticipated return after overcoming an ankle injury to take the place of Skholiwe Ndlovu.

This means the backline which performed so impressively remains intact, with Charl McLeod, Steve Meyer and Pat Lambie continuing in the 9-10-12 channel.

“I want us to play some great rugby on Friday night and the team selection is really a case of rewarding the group for what they did last weekend,” Plumtree told the Sharks website.

“We want to build on what we've achieved.”

“Against this Pumas side, we will get opportunities to play but it's how we hold on to the ball, create opportunities and then finish them off.

“We know they're good enough to score against us, but I want the boys to defend well and that's mostly about attitude.”

Despite Springbok Odwa Ndungane now returning to fitness, last weekend's two-try hero Lwazi Mvovo has done enough to retain his place.

Centurion Terblanche will lead the side once again. The utility back has scored 52 tries in his Currie Cup career – 34 for the Durban franchise and 18 for the Boland Kavaliers. He has also played in 37 Tests for the Springboks and has scored 19 tries on the international stage.

Meanwhile, the Pumas have a new fly-half as Ricardo Croy takes over from Elgar Watts. Elsewhere in the backline Shaun Venter moves from the wing to outside centre, swapping with Ashwin Scott.

The visiting pack is unchanged.

Prediction: The last time these sides met in Durban, the Sharks defeated the Pumas 34-16 back in 2006. The 'Shark Tank' should see a feeding frenzy: The Sharks to win with a bonus point.

The teams:

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Stefan Terblanche (c), 12 Patrick Lambie, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Steve Meyer, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Michael Rhodes, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Patric Cilliers.
Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Eugene van Staden, 18 Ross Skeate, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Rory Kockott, 21 Monty Dumond, 22 Andries Strauss.

Pumas: 15 Carl Bezuidenhout, 14 Ashwin Scott, 13 Shaun Venter, 12 Siviwe Magaba, 11 Allister Kettledas, 10 Ricardo Croy, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Doppies le Roux, 7 Alwyn Bester, 6 Corné Steenkamp, 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Eduan van der Walt, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin (c), 1 Ronnie Uys.
Replacements:16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Dawie Steyn, 18 Willem Serfontein, 19 Jaco Bouwer, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Elgar Watts, 22 Tiaan Marx.

Venue: The ABSA Stadium, Durban
Kick-off:19:00 (17:00 GMT)
Referee:Jonathan Kaplan
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Leopards v Western Province

Western Province have set the benchmark in the early stages of the competition and shouldn't have much trouble against the Leopards – even at the inhospitable Olën Park in Potchefstroom.

WP simply have too much firepower, especially up front, in this top-versus-bottom clash. The visitors will however be seeking the four-try bonus point that has eluded them so far.

The Leopards have never defeated Western Province since their introduction into the Currie Cup Premier Division. The hosts will know their discipline will be under scrutiny against the kicking of Willem de Waal, who has played a major role in the WP's two wins to date.

In team news, Province coach Allister Coetzee has made just two changes to the side that thrashed the Lions at Newlands last week.

Both changes come in the front row where injured loosehead prop Wicus Blaauw makes way for JD Moller. Hookers Tiaan Liebenberg and Deon Fourie are rotated with the latter wearing the number two jersey.

Blaauw is expected to be sidelined for two weeks with a rib injury meaning UCT loose forward Yaya Hartzenberg can take the vacant place on the bench.

Leopards coach Chaka Willemse has selected a third fly-half in as many starts. Neill Jacobs moves from centre to the number ten berth, with Clayton Durand dropping down to the replacement bench after taking over from Cecil Dumond last weekend.

Centre Walter Venter, who is on loan from the Lions, slots into the midfield.

Prediction: No mystery here. WP to win with a bonus point.

The teams:

Western Province:15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Fabian Juries, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Frikkie Welsh, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynardt Elstadt, 6 Pieter Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl (c), 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 JD Moller
Replacements:16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 Martin Muller, 19 Yaya Hartzenberg, 20 Pieter Myburgh, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Lionel Cronjé.

Leopards: 15 Jean Tiedt, 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 Jovan Bowles, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Dumisane Matyeshana, 10 Neill Jacobs, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Riaan Swanepoel, 7 Wilhelm Koch, 6 Danie Crous, 5 Rynard Landman, 4