Anything can happen in exciting final round

The only thing that we can be absolutely sure about heading into the final weekend of the league phase of the Currie Cup is that Tafel Lager Griquas will still be alive at the end of it. What we can be almost sure of is that we are going to see plenty of tries.

Every team, with the exception of Griquas, goes into this last round needing to get maximum points if they can, meaning the win and four tries. And in many cases four tries is the bottom-line requirement for what it will mean to those teams if they do end up losing.

For instance, the Toyota Cheetahs will probably consider themselves relatively safe if they lose to DHL Western Province in what should be effectively a high quality quarterfinal in Bloemfontein and still pick up a bonus point. That means that once they have scored their fourth try, they will know that they will be in the semifinal round.

What they won’t know beforehand though, and this is what makes it so interesting and which is why they have to still chase the win in the addition to the bonus point that they need, is whether that will be enough to get them a home semifinal. That of course would have been their objective at the start of the season.

WP CAN LOSE AND STILL MAKE SEMIS

Likewise WP, depending on what happens elsewhere, can lose and still make the semifinals if they pick up bonus points. And with the Cheetahs obviously pledging themselves to an attacking game, that could play into the visiting team’s hands and make it more than likely that they will also score four tries.

Either way, all the indications are that those who pitch at Toyota Stadium to watch the game should be royally entertained. Likewise Loftus in the later game, for the Vodacom Blue Bulls want a bonus point win against the Cell C Sharks so that they can stand a chance of sneaking into the play-offs.

A GLIMMER OF HOPE STILL FOR THE BULLS

It will still depend on some of the other results, but a semifinal place will be possible should the Bulls win with a bonus point. Conversely, and this is where there is a massive element of risk for the Bulls, if their quest to score tries plays into the Sharks’ hands and the Durban side beats them by a convincing margin, then the Bulls could be destined for a promotion-relegation game.

The Xerox Golden Lions can do themselves a favour by scoring four tries against Griquas in the first game of what will be an action-packed and probably very tense afternoon for those with vested interests in where the semifinals will be played and who will contest them. A bonus point should make a semifinal place fairly secure. But a win will put them into top spot, depending on what happens in Bloemfontein.

IT WILL ALL COME DOWN TO THAT FINAL FIXTURE

That brings up another factor that should perhaps be taken into consideration - the teams playing in the later games will start their fixtures knowing what they need to do. In particular the Sharks will know exactly where they stand - if WP have lost but picked up a bonus point the Sharks will need to get at least a bonus point as Province have a superior points differential. One point will also put them out of the range of the Bulls.

But if WP beat Free State, then a win is an imperative for the team co-captained by Tera Mtembu and Jeremy Ward. It all adds up to an intriguing couple of hours, the perfect appetiser for a week that will begin with Monday’s Springbok World Cup squad announcement and the farewell functions before heading into the quarterfinal round of the domestic competition.

RETURNING BOKS AND INJURED PLAYERS ADD QUALITY

The quality of the challenge of some of the teams will be increased by the return of Boks who were released from the World Cup training camp and from the previous commitment to the World Cup warm-up clash against Argentina.

WP for instance have two thirds of their starting front-row back in addition to their backline X-factor fulcrum in Dillyn Leyds, and they also have Damian Willemse starting at flyhalf for the first time this season. On paper WP are not a Currie Cup team but a Super Rugby team and purely in terms of the quality on the team sheet, they are still a team you wouldn’t bet against winning the trophy.

But then we’ve been saying that all season, and they started out as red-hot favourites, and yet they have lost three games. It is time the real Province stood up, meaning that they combine what they have done well in patches this season into a full 80-minute performance. They will need to, for the Cheetahs are a quality side that are better than their record so far reflects.

Knowing that could in fact be WP’s biggest trump this week - back in 2017 they were wishy washy throughout the league season, losing five games in the double round competition, but then suddenly they switched on when they went to Durban for what was effectively a very tough knock-out game for them. They then went on to win that and then an away final at the same venue two weeks later. I have a hunch we may just see history repeating itself.

The Sharks also have players coming back in the form of Andre Esterhuizen and Thomas du Toit, plus Coenie Oosthuizen is returning from injury. Those players bring a staunchness to the team sheet that was previously lacking, but while Boeta Chamberlain did well in his first game last week, the continued absence of Curwin Bosch could have a negative impact on the Sharks’ chances in such a crucial game.

SHARKS HAVE HAD ELEMENTS OF LUCK

Of course they’ve been on a knock-out footing for a while now, but they’ve also had huge elements of luck. The Golden Lions conspired against themselves last Sunday, and the Cheetahs were unlucky in Durban the week before that. If the Bulls play like they did when they beat the Lions with 14 men (actually 13 at some stages) two weeks ago then the Sharks could be hard pressed and their defence, which was a bit all over the place initially, will have to be better than it was in Johannesburg.

The Bulls have Lizo Gqoboka and Marco van Staden back to add strength to their pack, and that is where the game will be won and lost for if the Bulls are able to get their backs into the game they will be hard to stop. It is interesting to note that in Van Staden and former Shark Wian Vosloo the Bulls have two fetchers in their back row who will be a threat to any Sharks intent for quick ball.

ORIE AND SCHOEMAN MAKE UP FORMIDABLE SECOND ROW

The Lions have also been strengthened this week. Marvin Orie will strengthen a second row that is already made formidable by the underrated and raw and yet highly promising and energetic Ruben Schoeman, while Cyle Brink brings much-needed experience to the back row.

Griquas these days play a highly structured game under the astute coaching of Brent Janse van Rensburg and that is really the Lions’ biggest obstacle in their quest for the win. They’ve suffered two narrow defeats in succession and with that they have lost their Mojo. They need to regain it and Kimberley could be a difficult place to do that.

FINAL ROUND OF CURRIE CUP FIXTURES (ALL SATURDAY)

Tafel Lager Griquas v Xerox Golden Lions
Venue: Tafel Lager Park, Kimberley
Kick-off: 3pm
TV: SS1

Tafel Lager Griquas – Anthony Volmink, Ederies Arendse, Michal Haznar, Andre Swarts, Eduan Keyter, George Whitehead (capt), Chriswill September, Neill Jordaan, Sias Koen, Gideon van der Merwe, Victor Sekekete, Ian Groenewald, Ewald van der Westhuizen, AJ le Roux, Mox Mxoli. Replacements: Wilmar Arnoldi, NJ Oosthuizen, Johan Momsen, Conway Pretorius, Christiaan Meyer, Chris Smit, Bjorn Basson, Ruan Kramer.

Xerox Golden Lions – Tyrone Green, Madosh Tambwe, Wandisile Simelane, Duncan Matthews, Stean Pienaar, Shaun Reynolds, Ross Cronje (capt), Hacjivah Dayimani, Cyle Brink, Marnus Schoeman, Marvin Orie, Ruben Schoeman, Jacobie Adriaanse, Pieter Jansen, Sti Sithole. Replacements: Jan-Henning Campher, Dylan Smith, Johannes Jonker, Wilhelm van der Sluys, Len Massyn, Dillon Smit, Jan-Louis la Grange, Jamba Ulengo.

Toyota Free State Cheetahs v DHL Western Province
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 5:15pm
TV: SS1

Toyota Free State Cheetahs – Clayton Blommetjies, Darren Adonis, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, William Small-Smith, Tian Meyer (capt), Tian Schoeman, Ruan Pienaar, Henco Venter, Abongile Nonkontwana, Junior Pokomela, Walt Steenkamp, Sintu Manjesi, Boan Venter, Joseph Dweba, Schalk van der Merwe. Replacements: Jacques du Toit, Ox Nche, Aranos Coetzee, JP du Preez, Gerhard Olivier, Jasper Wiese, Dries Swanepoel /Dian Badenhorst, Louis Fouche.

DHL Western Province – Dillyn Leyds, Sergeal Petersen, Ruhan Nel, Rikus Pretorius, SP Marais, Damian Willemse, Justin Phillips, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, JD Schickerling, Ernst van Rhyn, Chris van Zyl, Salmaan Moerat, Wilco Louw, Scarra Ntubeni, Corne Fourie. Replacements: Chad Solomon, Kwenzo Blose, Neethling Fouche, Nama Xaba, Juarno Augustus, Paul de Wet, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Seabelo Senatla.

Vodacom Blue Bulls v Cell C Sharks
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 7:30pm
TV: SS1

Vodacom Blue Bulls – Divan Rossouw, Cornal Hendricks, Johnny Kotze, Dylan Sage, Rosko Specman, Manie Libbok, Ivan van Zyl (capt), Tim Agaba, Wian Vosloo, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Andries Ferreira, Wiehahn Herbst, Johan Grobbelaar, Lizo Gqoboka. Replacements: Corne Els, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Conraad van Vuuren, Jean Droste, Ruan Steenkamp, Embrose Papier, Vaughen Isaacs, Stedman Gans.

Cell C Sharks – Aphelele Fassi, Kobus van Wyk, Jeremy Ward (co-capt), André Esterhuizen, Lwazi Mvovo, Boeta Chamberlain, Sanele Nohamba, Tera Mtembu (co-capt), Jacques Vermeulen, Phepsi Buthelezi, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Coenie Oosthuizen, Kerron van Vuuren, Thomas du Toit. Replacements: Dylan Richardson, Mzamo Majola, John-Hubert Meyer, Gideon Koegelenberg, Andisa Ntsila, Cameron Wright, Rhyno Smith, JP Pietersen.