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CURRIE CUP: Saturday’s double header could prove decisive

football23 August 2024 05:45| © SuperSport
By:Gavin Rich
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Ruan Dreyer of the Hollywoodbets Sharks with John Plumtree © Gallo Images

On current form you’d expect the Vodacom Bulls to maintain their position on top of the log by beating Suzuki Griquas at Loftus, so it is Saturday’s intriguing double header that will take centre stage as we head into round eight of the Carling Currie Cup.

Griquas have troubled the Bulls in this competition in the past, even at Loftus, but even though the Kimberley team would have regained some confidence from their big win over the Novavit Griffons last week, it would be a major upset were they to win.

The anticipated result will leave the Bulls at least three points clear of the chasing pack, and it could be more if the Toyota Cheetahs used their home advantage to win the Bloemfontein battle between the second and third ranked teams set as Saturday’s late game.

The ADT Fidelity Lions head down the N1 as one of the form teams in the competition and looked to be gaining impressive momentum when they easily handled the challenge posed by a desperate DHL Western Province team in Johannesburg last Saturday.

Their unexpected loss to the Sharks XV four weeks ago aside, the Lions have been up with the Bulls as the standout team in the competition.

They are due to meet next Friday night in Pretoria in Round 9 and the Lions would like to play that derby in a position where victory can take them to the top of the log. Their only blemish so far has been that loss to the Sharks while the Bulls’ only blemish was the draw against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The Cheetahs had got themselves into a good position with that result but have subsequently fluffed their lines by losing to a Sharks XV that has been putting in an impressive surge that has taken them from nowhere into the top four.

There’s a lot of similarity between the selection policy of the Sharks and WP, with both fielding mostly really young teams, but where there’s divergence is in the results - while Province only have the two wins against the lowly Griffons on their record, the Sharks have not been beaten in over a month.

WELL LED SHARKS FACE TOUGH HURDLE

JP Pietersen’s charges have been well captained by No 8 Nick Hatton, and feature several South African national under-20 stars, such as the highly talented inside centre Jurenzo Julius, while young fullback Hakeem Kunene is a ringer for Aphelele Fassi with his style of play and may be as promising as the Springbok was at his age.

The Sharks though head on Saturday afternoon to a venue where neither the domestic competition side or the Vodacom United Rugby Championship team have experienced any success in a while for the earlier game between the two coastal sides.

However, while the Stormers have turned DHL Stadium into an impregnable fortress, that has not been the case with the blue and white stripes, and the smart money should be on a Sharks win.

Yet WP do have the motivation of still having an outside mathematical chance of qualifying for the semifinals if they win. Unfortunately wet weather is predicted for Cape Town on Saturday as yet another winter cold front approaches, but if it is relatively dry it could be quite a spectacular game because both teams have exciting players who are adept at playing a high tempo game.

As it stands the Bulls are on 31 points, the Lions on 28, the Cheetahs are four points behind the Johannesburg team and the Sharks are holding onto fourth, three points behind the Cheetahs and two ahead of the Airlink Pumas.

If the Sharks stumble in Cape Town, the Pumas will have a chance to lift themselves into the semifinal bracket when they travel to Welkom on Sunday to play the Griffons. Conversely, a Sharks win coupled with a Cheetahs loss to the Lions will put them third.

It is all to play for and this could prove a decisive weekend both in terms of the battle for top four and for the top two positions that will secure home ground advantage in the playoffs.

Weekend Carling Currie Cup fixtures:

Vodacom Bulls v Suzuki Griquas (Pretoria, Friday 7pm)

DHL Western Province v Hollywoodbets Sharks XV (Cape Town, Saturday 3pm)

Toyota Free State Cheetahs v ADT Fidelity Golden Lions (Bloemfontein, Saturday 5pm)

Novavit Griffons v Airlink Pumas (Welkom, Sunday 3pm)

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