Elimination weekend arrives in Unlocked

When DHL Stormers defence coach Norman Laker said this week that anything could still happen in Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked even though the Bulls are in the pound seats he probably wasn’t thinking of an extra element that could come into play.

The situation that developed around the Cell C Sharks in the middle part of the week was a reminder that in this extraordinary year, it is not just what happens on the field that could subvert the expectations as the competition heads into the last two weeks of play.

Fortunately for the Sharks there was just one positive test for Covid-19 for them to contend with. They had to withdraw two players who had been in close contact with the infected player, but that was the limit of the damage. Their coach Sean Everitt stressed that there had been no major disruption to his team’s plans.

It could have been different of course, and could still be a week from now. Willem Alberts was the only Lions player withdrawn from his team’s game against the Stormers in Cape Town towards the start of the competition, but by the following week there were more infections and the game against the Toyota Cheetahs had to be first postponed and then cancelled.

Who is to say there won’t be more Sharks infections next week which could impact on the scheduled final game of the Unlocked portion of the season against the Stormers? Or on a similar tack, given how these Covid cases can suddenly just make an appearance, who is to say the Bulls might suddenly find they have cases that could throw their final game against the Phakisa Pumas in Nelspruit into jeopardy.

I’m not being a doom merchant here, the chances of this chain of events coming to pass aren’t great. But they are there, and the point is that we are in a year where “anything can happen” means something different to what it means in any other season.

SA Rugby has set a precedent by declaring the Lions/Cheetahs game that was cancelled a draw, so if the Bulls game next week was cancelled, the same rule would have to apply. In which case the Sharks and Stormers, and whoever else is in contention at that point, will just have to play for a win to be in with a chance of claiming the title.

As it stands though, this penultimate weekend of the competition stands up as an elimination round. In the sense that the losing teams will definitely be out of the running, regardless of what else might transpire between now and next week.

The Stormers have to beat the Cheetahs, preferably with a bonus point, if they want to have any chance of overtaking the Bulls in the final week. The same for the Sharks, who visit Kimberley on Friday night. The Cheetahs also still have a chance of winning South Africa’s last ever edition of Super Rugby should they beat the Stormers at Newlands. The rest of the teams are out of the running, though the Lions could still have a mathematical chance if they beat the Pumas in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Tafel Lager Griquas v Cell C Sharks (Kimberley, Friday 19.00)

Griquas have looked good in patches and although their record doesn’t reflect it, Sharks No 8 Phepsi Buthelezi is right when he refers to them as a team of potential. What they have to do is convert their periods of promise into something more akin to sustained quality and, who knows, maybe they will be able to pull off an upset, something they threatened in the very first weekend when they went to Pretoria.

Griquas have been a banana peel for the Sharks in the past, and Sharks coach Sean Everitt won’t forget in a hurry that it was the Griquas who inflicted on him the discomfort of losing his first game in charge - and it was at King’s Park to boot. Mitigating against that is the fact that the Griquas coach that night, Brent Janse van Rensburg, is now Everitt’s assistant, and he will have made it clear to the Sharks players, just in case they needed any reminding, that the Kimberley team shouldn’t be underestimated. Particularly not in Kimberley.

The Sharks love to stress that they are performance driven, meaning that the result is secondary to the quality of their work, but Everitt was honest enough to admit that his team need a bonus point if they want to threaten the Bulls. He’s right. So the objective of the Sharks on Friday night isn’t a straightforward one - they need to win, but they also need to score a minimum of three more tries than their opponents in the process.

TEAMS

Tafel Lager Griquas: Masixole Banda, Ederies Arendse, Harlon Klaasen, Johnathan Francke, Eduan Keyter, George Whitehead (captain), Zak Burger, Johan Momsen, Stefan Willemse, Gideon van der Merwe, Cameron Lindsay, Adre Smith, Ewald van der Westhuizen, HJ Luus, Mox Mxoli. Replacements (from): Monde Hadebe, Andrew Beerwinkel, Madot Mabokela, Carl Els, CJ Velleman, Theo Maree, Tinus de Beer, Daniel Kasende, Bandisa Ndlovu, Ewan Coetzee, Ashlon Davids.

Cell C Sharks: Anthony Volmink, Yaw Penxe, Jeremy Ward (captain), Marius Louw, Madosh Tambwe, Curwin Bosch, Sanele Nohamba, Phepsi Buthelezi, Thembelani Bholi, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, John-Hubert Meyer, Kerron van Vuuren, Ox Nche. Replacements: Daniel Jooste, Mzamo Majola, Khwezi Mona, JJ van der Mescht, Dylan Richardson, Cameron Wright, Manie Libbok, Sbu Nkosi.

Prediction: Sharks by 12

Emirates Lions v Phakisa Pumas (Johannesburg, Saturday 16.30)

The Pumas team had not been finalised at the time of writing but the Lions team has a strong look to it, with three Springboks being recalled to the starting unit for this penultimate fixture of Unlocked. Remember that while the Unlocked season is nearly over, and the Lions are pretty much out of the running for that trophy, these games do count to the Carling Lager Currie Cup, which will become the sole focus of all the teams a fortnight from now.

The three Boks back in the Lions team are Willem Alberts, for the first time since he had to withdraw from the Cape Town game, Ross Cronje and Ruan Dreyer. The Pumas are an unpredictable entity these days, and much will depend on which team pitches at Emirates Airlines Park - the one that beat Griquas and should have beaten the Stormers, or the one that was well beaten by the Sharks the last time they played.

The Lions have shown promise recently, and pushed the Bulls more than expected last week, and should win.

Emirates Lions: Tiaan Swanepoel, Stean Pienaar, Wandisile Simelane, Burger Odendaal, Courtnall Skosan, Elton Jantjies (captain), Ross Cronjé, Len Massyn, Vincent Tshituka, MJ Pelser, Reinhard Nothnagel, Willem Alberts, Carlu Sadie, Jaco Visagie, Ruan Dreyer. Replacements: Jan-Henning Campher, Sti Sithole, Wiehahn Herbst, Marvin Orie, Hacjivah Dayimani, André Warner, Dan Kriel, Divan Rossouw.

Prediction: Lions by 12

DHL Stormers v Toyota Cheetahs (Cape Town, Saturday 19.00)

The Frans Steyn question, will he or won’t he play, has been extended to the eve of this crucially important fixture for both teams. The multiple World Cup winner has been bracketed with Chris Smith in the Cheetahs midfield, with a call due to be made later.

Knowing how these things go, the Cheetahs probably have a good idea whether Steyn is playing or not, but are just keeping the Stormers guessing. Although the Stormers said otherwise at the start of the week, it does matter whether Steyn is at Newlands or not - he is just one of those players who has enough influence to be the difference in the team’s chances of winning or losing.

The Cheetahs were a bit unlucky in Durban last week and looked to be carrying rust from their three weeks of inactivity that shouldn’t be in evidence on Saturday. The Stormers won well in Kimberley last week but remain an unknown quantity as the win over Griquas was the exception to what has been a mediocre run so far. This is a game that could go either way.

TEAMS

DHL Stormers: Warrick Gelant, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis, Rikus Pretorius, Angelo Davids, Damian Willemse, Herschel Jantjies, Juarno Augustus, Ernst van Rhyn, Marcel Theunissen, JD Schickerling, Salmaan Moerat, Frans Malherbe, Scarra Ntubeni, Steven Kitshoff (captain). Replacements (from): Bongi Mbonambi, Kwenzo Blose, Sazi Sandi, Neethling Fouche, Chris van Zyl, David Meihuizen, Ben-Jason Dixon, Godlen Masimla, Kade Wolhuter, Michal Hazner, Leolin Zas.

Toyota Cheetahs: Clayton Blommetjies, Malcolm Jaer, William Small-Smith, Frans Steyn/Chris Smit, Rosko Specman, Tian Schoeman, Tian Meyer, Jeandré Rudolph, Junior Pokomela (captain), Andisa Ntsila, Carl Wegner, Ian Groenewald, Luan de Bruin, Reinach Venter, Charles Marais. Replacements: Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe, Khutha Mchunu, JP du Preez, Aidon Davis, Ruben de Haas, Reinhardt Fortuin, Chris Smit/Howard Mnisi.

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen.

Prediction: Stormers by less than 7