Currie Cup, Round Nine – Teams and Predictions

BATTLE FOR TOP SPOT: With the countdown to the Currie Cup playoffs having started, the Lions and Cheetahs will realise the importance of winning on the road this weekend.

The men from Johannesburg are heading to Kimberley to face a confident Griquas side on Friday, and on Saturday the Free Staters are in action against Western Province in Cape Town.

The weekend’s other Round Nine match is a top-of-the-table clash between the Sharks and Bulls in Durban on Friday, with both teams agreeing to move the game to the coast – despite initially being scheduled for Pretoria.

The clash is a repeat of last season’s Final between the two teams, who have been dominating the South African rugby fraternity in recent years.

The Pumas will not be in action as the men from Nelspruit have a bye this week.

We take a closer look at Round nine’s matches below!

Friday, August 6

Griquas v Lions
(Griqua Park, Kimberley – Kick-off: 14.30; 12.30 GMT)

Burger Odendaal will be running out in his 50th Currie Cup match on Friday.

The Lions will be keen to make it a memorable occasion for the experienced midfielder when they take on the high-flying Griquas Kimberley.

The last time these two teams clashed was a few weeks ago in round six, when Griquas caused an upset to win 41-31 in Johannesburg, as they started their surge up the standings.

Playing in Kimberley is never easy and the Lions will remember their last trip to the Northern Cape, which they won after the match was ended early due to inclement weather.

The Lions have been struggling with injuries to key players.

The Lions’ star loose forward  Vincent Tshituka will be out for six to eight weeks following a knee injury during their Currie Cup defeat to Pumas on Friday.

Tshituka has a Grade II MCL tear in his knee.

The Lions also face a nervy wait on Springboks prop Jannie Du Plessis.

To make things more challenging for the Lions, the Gauteng side face a hectic schedule in the coming week.

“We need to be spot on this weekend against the Griquas,” Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen told reporters earlier this week.

“We have five games in two weeks which is hectic.  Furthermore, we are currently struggling with injuries thus it is important to utilize the players very well.

“Think as coaches and players we have to bounce back and do our best in Kimberley.”

Last 10 Currie Cup outings
2013: Lions won 35-28, Johannesburg
2014: Lions won 46-8, Kimberley
2015: Lions won 29-19, Johannesburg
2016: Griquas won 30-24, Kimberley
2017: Lions won 48-43, Johannesburg
2017: Lions won 34-17, Kimberley
2018: Lions won 62-41, Johannesburg
2019: Lions won 27-26, Kimberley
2020: Lions won 20-17, Kimberley
2021: Griquas won 41-31, Johannesburg

Prediction

@rugby365com: Griquas by three points.

Teams

Griquas: 15 Tinus de Beer, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Michal Haznar, 12 Andre Swarts, 11 Eduan Keyter, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Ruan Steenkamp (captain), 7 Sibabalo Qoma, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Stefan Willemse, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Janu Botha, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Nqobisizwe Mxoli.
Replacements – from: 16 Alandre van Rooyen, 17 Andrew Kuhn, 18 Erich de Jager, 19 Cameron Lindsay, 20 Luyolo Dapula, 21 Hanru Sirgel, 22 Raegan Oranje, 23 Enver Brandt, 24 Tijde Visser, 25 Mzwanele Zito, 26 Chris Hollis.

Lions: 15 Duncan Matthews; 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Courtnall Skosan; 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Andre Warner; 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruhan Straueli, 6 Sibusiso Sangweni, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 FP Pelser, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole.
Replacements: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Travis Gordon, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Stean Pienaar

Referee: Griffin Colby
Assistant referees: Local
TMO: Ben Crouse

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Sharks v Bulls
(Kings Park, Durban, 19.00; 17.00 GMT)

The Bulls will be in a unique situation when they are playing a “home game” against the Sharks in Durban.

The teams decided to switch the venue after the Durbanites missed out on a number of home games that were cancelled due to the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal.

While the Bulls also contributed R100 000 to the Sharks’ “Hands of Hope” fundraising campaign, aimed at rebuilding KZN by uplifting communities and people’s livelihoods.

The last time these two sides – currently occupying the top two spots on the log – met in the Currie Cup, was the nail-biting 2020 Final in Pretoria, where the Bulls scored the match-winning try in the final minute of extra time.

“The Bulls is always a big match for us,” Sharks coach Sean Everitt said.

“However given how the Pumas and Griquas have performed against the big franchises (Lions, Sharks, Bulls and Western Province)  all games in the Currie Cup are huge.

“Think there has never been an easy game and with our tough schedule ahead, the fixture against the Bulls are extremely important,”

Having faced the Pretoria outfit in the Currie Cup final a few months ago, Everitt knows exactly how dangerous the defending champs can be.

“The Bulls recruited very well and they have a formidable pack of forwards,” Everitt said.

“For them momentum is key and we need to stop that and get momentum on attack.

“Think they strive on their maul, they have an outstanding lineout and they have incredible ball carriers, so we have to be disciplined and deal with their power game,”

Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, expressed the side’s enthusiasm ahead of the clash in Durban.

“It’s another tough week against a Sharks team that will want to bounce back from their defeat to the Griquas last weekend.

“It is a top of the table clash, so we can expect a fierce battle with the Sharks, who will certainly be up for the contest in an effort to topple us from the top of the log.

“There is definitely a lot to play for and we will have to be at the top of our game in this contest to continue with the momentum we have so far in the competition.

“We are fortunate to be able to count on the experience of players like Lizo Gqoboka, who starts this week.

“We are also excited to have the likes of Madosh Tabwe and Stedman Gans back to bolster the squad, while relying on both the experience and exuberance of the bench to close off the game for us.”

Last 10 Currie Cup encounters

2014: Sharks won 26-15, Pretoria
2015: Bulls won 17-13, Durban
2016: Sharks won 26-19, Durban
2017: Sharks won 28-20: Pretoria
2017: Sharks won 18-5, Durban
2017: Sharks won 37-27, Durban
2018: Sharks won 26-10, Durban
2019: Sharks won 48-40, Pretoria
2020: Sharks won 32-29, Durban
2021: Bulls won 26-19, Pretoria

Prediction

@rugby365com: Bulls by five points.

Teams

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Werner Kok, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi (captain), 7 Henco Venter, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Khwezi Mona, 17 Lourens Adriaanse, 18 Thembelani Bholi, 19 Mpilo Gumede, 20 James Venter, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Jeremy Ward, 23 Anthony Volmink.

Bulls: 15 David Kriel, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Harold Vorster, 12. Cornal Hendricks, 11 Stedman Gans, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Muller Uys, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Schalk Erasmus, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements – from:16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mhleli Dlamini, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Sibongile Novuka, 24 Jacques van Rooyen, 25 Reinhardt Ludwig, 26 WJ Steenkamp, 27 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 28 Richard Kriel.

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Yanga Sotshangane, Damian Varney
TMO: Cwengile Jadezweni

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Saturday, August 7

Western Province v Cheetahs
(Newlands Stadium, Cape Town – Kick-off: 14.30; 12.30 GMT)

The final match is on Saturday in Cape Town, where both Western Province and the Cheetahs will be giving their all for a win to ensure they remain close to the top four.

These two sides are currently in fifth and seventh positions on the log, although the Free Staters have a game in hand.

Cheetahs will be hoping for a repeat of their sixth-round clash, when the men in white delivered a superb performance to win by 38-21 in Bloemfontein.

One man who certainly needs to be on top of his game is WP forward Evan Roos. Thus far the 21-year-old has been in fine form and will be one of the dangermen.

“This weekend is going to be a tough one, the Cheetahs are a quality outfit,”  Roos told reporters earlier in the week.

“We will have to be on top of our game if we want to be competitive,”

Sharing the forward’s sentiments WP assistant coach Rito Hlungwani admitted the side have to bounce back and be better following last weekend’s defeat to the Bulls.

“Our mindset has always been to get better every week,” Hlungwani revealed.

“We are done with the Bulls, and now we just want to make sure we play as well as we can against the Cheetahs,”

He added: “In the match against the Bulls we put ourselves under a lot of pressure, so we have to improve the small things.

“Have to get better at decision-making and execution.

“We are well aware of where we are in terms of the log, and it is extra motivation,”

Commenting on the match, Cheetahs captain Ruan Pienaar said: “WP is not a bad team, I think they have been unfortunate with a few results.

“They will be desperate and they are always dangerous in Cape Town.

“They have a lot of talented players across the team and like any other Province team, they will be physical and will asked a lot of questions.

“So we definitely have to be at our best. Will certainly be a great contest,”

When asked about moving the match to Newlands, Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourite could not contain his excitement.

“I am glad the match is moved to Newlands,” Hawies told reporters.

“In the Second Test between the Springboks and British and Irish Lions, we could see the surface at the Cape Town Stadium struggled a bit especially at scrum time it tends to get slippery.

“So for us, Newlands is much better. WP played the Bulls at Newlands last weekend, and we at the Cheetahs are used to the stadium.

“Think it’s a special stadium and it will certainly be special occasion for us,”

Last 10 Currie Cup outings

2014: WP won 34-29, Bloemfontein
2015: WP won 9-3, Cape Town
2015: Cheetahs won 28-21, Bloemfontein
2016: Cheetahs won 32-25, Cape Town
2017: Cheetahs won 30-17, Bloemfontein
2018: WP won 57-14, Cape Town
2018: WP won 32-0, Cape Town
2019: Cheetahs won 38-33, Bloemfontein
2021: WP won 31-29, Bloemfontein
2021: Cheetahs won 38-21, Bloemfontein

Prediction
@rugby365com: WP by three points.

Teams: 

Western Province: 15 Sergeal Petersen, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Juan De Jongh, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Deon Fourie, 7 Ernst van Rhyn (captain), 6 Nama Xaba, 5 David Meihuizen, 4 John Schickerling, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Dian Bleuler.
Replacements: 16 Leon Lyons, 17 JJ Kotze, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Johan du Toit, 20 Evan Roos, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Dan du Plessis, 23 Warrick Gelant.

Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Duncan Saal, 13 David Brits, 12 Siya Masuku, 11 Cohen Jasper, 10 Reinhardt Fortuin, 9 Ruan Pienaar (captain), 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Jeandré Rudolph, 5 Jean Droste, 4 Rynier Bernardo, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Aluluthu Tshakweni.
Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Victor Sekekete, 20 Mihlali Mosi, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Brandon Thomson, 23 Chris Smit.

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant referees: Local appointments
TMO: Egon Seconds.