Preview: Vodacom Cup, semifinals
Western Province or the Pumas will be making history on Saturday when one of them qualifies for the Vodacom Cup Final in a weeks’ time.
Neither of these sides has ever made it past the semifinal stage of the competition. They are playing each other in Cape Town on Saturday to determine which team will progress to the 2012 Final, to be held on the weekend of May 18/19 at the venue of the top team from the North Section.
The other semifinal is on Friday in Kimberley between the two teams that have dominated the Vodacom Cup play-offs since its inception in 1998 – Griquas and the Blue Bulls. Between them, they have won the title seven times and been runners up eight times.
If Griquas win their semifinal, they will also host the final. If the Blue Bulls and the Pumas win, the final will be in Mpumalanga, and if it’s the Blue Bulls against Western Province, the final will be in Pretoria.
It’s not the ideal scenario for Western Province, coached by former UCT Varsity Cup coach John Dobson, as they are the only team this season that have not lost a game.
Western Province followed their seven from seven in the league phase of the Vodacom Cup with a comprehensive home win against the Golden Lions in the quarterfinals in Cape Town last weekend (58-34) and can be regarded as favourites of the Pumas, who finished second in the North Section and eliminated the EP Kings by 30-19 last Friday.
One of the few survivors of WP’s Vodacom Cup semifinal defeat in 2008 is midfielder PJ Vermeulen, who is now plying his trade for Griquas.
For Griquas and the Blue Bulls, the semifinal is a replay of their first round clash in early March, won comfortably by the team from the Northern Cape (36-17) in Pretoria. The home team was totally outplayed on that day and conceded six tries to two.
However, the Peacock Blues will not have forgotten last year’s semifinal, when the Blue Bulls, who snuck into the playoffs, caused somewhat of an upset in Kimberley (47-34) to advance to their fifth successive Vodacom Cup Final.
Marnitz Boshoff, who kicked six penalties, three conversions and a drop-goal on that day to help steer the Blue Bulls to a fine victory, has since left Pretoria and joined Griquas, where he has been sharing the flyhalf duties with Francois Brummer, another former Bull.
When it comes to semifinals and finals, these two teams are the most successful in Vodacom Cup history.
The Blue Bulls have only lost one out of their 10 appearances in the semifinals, while Griquas have won six from eight.
Semifinal fixtures:
Friday, May 11:
Griquas v Blue Bulls
Kick-off: 15.00
Venue: GWK Park, Kimberley
Referee: Quinton Immelman
Saturday, May 12:
Western Province v Pumas
Kick-off: 16.15
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Semifinals history:
Western Province
2008: lost to Free State XV 27-22 in Cape Town
2000: lost to Griquas 41-27 in Kimberley
Griquas
2009: beat Sharks XV 36-25 in Durban
2008: lost to Blue Bulls 40-20 in Pretoria
2007: beat Pumas 46-26 in Kimberley
2005: beat Regent Boland Cavaliers 16-13 in Kimberley
2001: lost to Regent Boland Cavaliers 47-31 in Wellington
2000: beat WP 41-27 in Kimberley
1999: beat Regent Boland Cavaliers 24-17 in Kimberley
1998: beat Sharks XV by 47-28 in Kimberley
Pumas
2007: lost to Griquas 46-26 in Kimberley
Blue Bulls
2011: beat Griquas 47-34 in Kimberley
2010: beat Sharks XV 33-3 in Pretoria
2009: beat Leopards 45-34 in Pretoria
2008: beat Griquas 40-20 in Pretoria
2007: beat Leopards 32-25 in Pretoria
2005: lost to Leopards 17-11 in Pretoria
2004: beat Free State XV 24-20 in Bloemfontein
2003: beat Leopards 47-19 in Pretoria
2002: beat Regent Boland Cavaliers 47-45 in Wellington
2001: beat Free State XV 39-38 in Pretoria
Note: In 2006 there was no knock-out rounds – the Falcons and Sharks XV progressed to the final, won by the Falcons in Brakpan.
Vodacom Cup previous winners:
1998: Griquas
1999: Golden Lions
2000: Free State Cheetahs
2001: Blue Bulls
2002: Golden Lions
2003: Golden Lions
2004: Golden Lions
2005: Griquas
2006: Falcons
2007: Griquas
2008: Blue Bulls
2009: Griquas
2010: Blue Bulls
2011: Pampas XV
