The Currie Cup regular season comes to a close this weekend and there's not too much to play for at the upper echelons of the log with the Lions almost guaranteed a bonus point win over tournament whipping boys the Griffons, that would see them have first place sewn up by Friday evening while the Bulls the Sharks can't usurp the Bulls into second place either.
The only game where there is a bit at stake is the Pumas versus Cheetahs clash. Only one point separates the sides on the log and this one will decide who claims the last semi-final berth.
Friday 6 September
Griquas 15/10 | Draw 25/1 | Province 11/20
Handicap
Griquas 15/10 | Province 11/20
Suzuki Park stages the opener for the round which will see the Griquas and Western Province square off. Neither side has anything bar pride to play for so the shackles may come of a bit here, especially with Western Province likely to bring more of their URC contingent into the fold.
Both sides gave very decent accounts of themselves in Round 9 with the Griquas registering a 44-31 won over an undercooked Cheetahs outfit, while Province beat the Pumas 39-30 in high scoring thriller staged in Stellenbosch which saw Courtnall Skosan bag a hattrick.
Verdict: Western Province (11/20)
They have a number of their big guns back having abandoned their youth policy and I expect a big shift from a Western Province side that is more than capable of running riot here.
Lions 1/100 | Draw 33/1 | Griffons 14/1
Handicap
Lions 1/100 | Griffons 15/20
We head over to Johannesburg for our next fixture which will see the hapless Griffons take on the log-leading Lions. The hosts know they just need a win here to sew up top spot on the log and they may well rest a couple of their big guns as they look ahead to the semi-finals.
The Lions were in emphatic form against the Bulls last weekend as they ran out 33-57 victors at Midstream College. They were ruthless with ball-in-hand and ran in a number of scintillating tries in what was their eighth regular season win.
The Griffons, on the other hand, suffered one of their heavier defeats of the campaign as they went down 75-19 to the Sharks in Durban with the result seeing their points differential drop to -338.
Verdict: Lions (1/100)
I fear things may get worse for the Griffons here as the Lions – even if they do field a somewhat understrength side – will be on the hunt for a big score in front of their home faithful.
Saturday 7 September
Pumas 11/10 | Draw 25/1 | Cheetahs 15/20
Handicap
Pumas 11/10 | Cheetahs 15/20
It’s the big one for the weekend next up with the Pumas looking to pull off a home win that would see them book a semi-final berth at the expense of the Cheetahs
The Pumas have done well to keep themselves in the hunt for a semi-final berth although they will be grateful for the Cheetahs massive loss of form near the tail end of the regular season.
In terms of last weekend’s results, the Pumas gave a very good account of themselves against a Western Province outfit that was buoyed by the return of a few Springboks as well as a number of their URC players. The Pumas were actually in with a shout of winning the fixture right up until the final two minutes of the game where a Joseph Dweba try extended the host’s lead to an unmountable nine points.
The Cheetahs were far less impressive in their Round 9 fixture as they went down 44-31 to the Griquas. They did manage to score a vital fourth try in the final few minutes of the game which gave them a crucial losing bonus point.
Verdict: Pumas (11/10)
I fancy the Pumas to take this one on home soil and book a place in the semi-finals.
Sunday 8 September
Sharks 11/10 | Draw 25/1 | Bulls 15/20
Handicap
Sharks 11/10 | Bulls 15/20
The last of this season’s round-robin fixtures sees the Sharks and Bull square off in Durban. The two sides are extremely likely to meet again the following week in the semi-finals, although that fixture will be played in Pretoria.
The Natalians continued their fine run of form this past weekend as they hammered the hapless Griffons 75-19 in one of the Saturday evening fixtures.
While the Sharks made light work of their opponents in Round 9, the Bulls struggled in their Jukskei derby with the Lions going down 33-57 to Joburg’s finest. They will need to up their game tenfold this weekend as the Sharks are really on a hot-streak.
Verdict: Sharks (11/10)
I expect to see a lot of changes from both sides with the semi-finals looming large. I reckon this will play more into the hands of the hosts than it will the visitors.
