The curtain will come down on Round 2 of the 2018 Currie Cup at Newlands, when Western Province tackle the Free State XV.
The Free State XV will be looking to bounce back from their 12-34 Round 1 defeat to the Blue Bulls when they take on a Western Province side who open up their campaign on home soil and will be desperate to put in a decent shift in front of what will be a partisan crowd.
Western Province v Free State XV
Saturday 25 August
DHL Newlands
17:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Western Province 1/8
Draw 20/1
Cheetahs 5/1
Handicap *
Western Province (-14)
Cheetahs (+14.5)
Western Province
The reigning champions will be looking to add a 35th Currie Cup to their trophy haul by retaining their title. The men from the Cape are a rather youthful bunch, with stalwarts such as Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi all with the Springboks.
They do have a few experienced players to call on with Dillon Leyds, JD Schickerling and Jean Luc du Plessis all in their Currie Cup squad. They also have some exciting youngsters amongst their ranks, including Springbok Under 20 captain, Salmaan Moerat.
Free State Cheetahs
Based on last week’s evidence, one is left to draw the conclusion that this year’s Cheetahs squad is a far cry from the 2017 edition. The men in orange and white struggled on the counter-attack and were heavily reliant on their ball carriers during last week’s loss to the B1ue Bulls. They lacked off the ball runners, which meant the half breaks of Ox Nche, Joseph Dweba and William Small-Smith went un-rewarded.
The Free State side also looked at sixes and sevens on defence. And while they have never been the world’s greatest defensive side, they will need to improve as they simply can’t outscore opponents like they used to.
Verdict: Western Province (-14) 9/10*
I cannot see this Western Province side having any problems against a Cheetahs side who are well below par.
* Forecast handicap – to be add on release.
