Team of the Week: Final countdown
Three sides – the Golden Lions, the Blue Bulls and Western Province – have already confirmed their semifinal spots, with the Lions being guaranteed a home semifinal (opponent still unknown), while it all comes down to the final round to determine where the Bulls and WP will contest their semifinal.
Log leaders, the Lions, remained the only unbeaten side when they ran in nine tries to absolutely demolish Western Province 62-32, although the Cape side managed a four-try bonus point themselves.
Second-placed Blue Bulls bagged a bonus point victory of their own when they bulldozed the EP Kings 48-27 in Pretoria while the Sharks were too much for Griquas in Kimberley with a 45-20 victory to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
There was plenty of drama at the Mbombela Stadium when the Pumas came from behind to claim a 37-all draw with the Free State Cheetahs. It was a must-win game for the Nelspruit side but they left it too late to see their semifinal hopes go up in flames.
The result leaves the Cheetahs in fourth place, just two points above the Sharks ahead of the final round-robin fixture, which sees the sides meet in Bloemfontein in a winner-takes-all encounter.
Team of the Week: Currie Cup, Round Nine:
15 – Andries Coetzee (Golden Lions)
Made plenty of metres throughout the encounter and capped off his performance with a wonderful try.
Bubbling under: Warrick Gelant (Blue Bulls)
14 – Sergeal Petersen (Free State Cheetahs)
Opened the scoring for the Bloem outfit and his raw speed shows why he is a quality wing.
Bubbling under: Courtnall Skosan (Golden Lions)
13 – Francois Venter (Free State Cheetahs)
The man can do no wrong and remains consistent in his performances.
Bubbling under: Dries Swanepoel (Blue Bulls)
12 – Howard Mnisi (Golden Lions)
What more is there to say?
Bubbling under: Stefan Watermeyer (Pumas)
11 – Rosko Speckman (Pumas)
An absolute live-wire on the field and a constant threat on attack while his defensive work is impressive as well.
Bubbling under: Anthony Volmink (Golden Lions)
10 – Marnitz Boshoff (Golden Lions)
Quite simply ran the show on the night and his educated boot just keeps on firing.
Bubbling under: Robert du Preez (Western Province)
9 – Ross Cronje (Golden Lions)
Controls the pace of the game nicely and his service has simply been outstanding.
Bubbling under: Francois Hougaard (Blue Bulls)
8 – Warren Whiteley (Golden Lions)
Continues to knock on the Springbok door.
Bubbling under: De Wet Kruger (Free State Cheetahs)
7 – Uzair Cassiem (Pumas)
A massive effort from the loose forward helped his side launch an impressive comeback.
Bubbling under: Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Western Province)
6 – Jaco Kriel (Golden Lions)
Another player who has made this selection his own as he terrorised the WP defence.
Bubbling under: Francois Kleinhans (Sharks)
5 – Franco Mostert (Golden Lions)
Another hard grafting effort from the ever reliable lock.
Bubbling under: Hugo Kloppers (Griquas)
4 – Lourens Erasmus (Golden Lions)
One would never say he made his Currie Cup debut this season.
Bubbling under: Jacques du Plessis (Blue Bulls)
3 – Vincent Koch (Pumas)
Continues his steady return to form with some massive scrumming efforts.
Bubbling under: Marcel van der Merwe (Blue Bulls)
2 – Malcolm Marx (Golden Lions)
Was a demon on defence and he ran like a wing when on attack
Bubbling under: Bandise Maku (Blue Bulls)
1 – Steven Kitshoff (Western Province)
Showed why he is regarded as one of the best props in the country.
Bubbling under: Lizo Gqoboka (Eastern Province Kings)
Our individual selections:
Jan de Koning XV: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Rosko Speckman, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Tauriq Ebrahim XV: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Ruhan Nel, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 De Wet Kruger, 7 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Warren Fortune XV: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Rosko Speckman, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Paul Dobson XV: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
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