Currie Cup, Round Six - teams and predictions

PREVIEW: To use a hackneyed articulation, it is truly the Dance of the Desperates!

Saturday’s action starts with a Trans-Jukskei derby, the Bulls desperately clinging to their fading hopes of reaching the Currie Cup play-offs.

With just two rounds remaining, they require a full-house 10 points and some other results going their way.

It starts with beating the fourth-placed Lions and denying them any points at Ellis Park.

Indeed, a tall order!

The Sharks, having finally broken their duck against the bottom-placed Western Province last week, welcome the high-flying Boland Cavaliers to the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.

Boland can cement a top-two finish and home-ground advantage in the semifinals with a win (bonus-point or not) in KwaZulu-Natal.

Western Province, although winless, will no doubt add to the anxiety of a Pumas team needing a bonus-point win to keep their play-off dream alive when the two sides meet at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point in the weekend’s final encounter.

Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo this week intransigently protested that his team is still in the play-off race, albeit ‘mathematically’.

With the Lions opting to parachute United Rugby Championship boss Ivan van Rooyen into the coaches’ box, it means they will provide a very different picture at Ellis Park on Saturday.

“That poses its own challenges,” Nomlomo told @king365ed.

“We have to get a result [win], with our aspirations of continuing longer in the competition.”

With URC call-ups and injuries forcing assistant coach Josh Strauss to kit up last week, the Bulls’ depth has been severely tested.

“There are a couple of guys we thought we would have back this week, but they haven’t recovered in time,” he said.

The Lions, on Friday, confirmed United Rugby Championship head coach Ivan van Rooyen has taken control of the Currie Cup team.

Having already been seen, on more than one occasion, hovering in the background to the obvious frustration of Mziwakhe Nkosi, Van Rooyen is now coaching ‘alongside’ the Currie Cup mentor.

Lions Rugby Company CEO Rudolf Straeuli felt the need to make a statement on the matter, confirming that it is not by choice that Nkosi was given ‘assistance’.

“With the commencement of the SA junior competitions as well the Currie Cup nearing the business end, there will be amalgamation of management teams and particularly that of Mziwakhe’s in his capacity as coach of Currie Cup and Development Rugby and a large part of his management teams who have both served in the Currie Cup as well as the junior teams in a similar fashion to the previous season,” Straeuli explained.

“Van Rooyen, in his capacity as URC head coach alongside his management, will play a more pronounced role with the introduction of these players,” he concluded.

(Continue below …)

* Hawies Fourie’s Boland Cavaliers have been a revelation this season and sit comfortably in second place with four wins from five starts, a testimony to their ambition.

Apart from a loss to Griquas, victories over the Pumas (away), the Blue Bulls (home), the Lions (home) and Cheetahs (home) have propelled them to second on the log with flyhalf Danrich Visagie leading the tournament’s point-scoring record with 50.

The Durbanites, however, are fresh off their first win of the season (over WP), and JP Pietersen’s young charges will be looking to build momentum and upward movement on the league table.

Pietersen spoke of the need to get some ‘continuity’ from the win over Province and continue the growth they have shown in the first five rounds.

“Defensively we were not cohesive as a group, in the early stages of the season,” he told @rugby365com, adding: “We were better against the Cheetahs, Griquas and Province.

“Some of the individuals also put their hands up, especially [captain] Nicholas Hatton.”

He admitted that, as a young group, the set pieces are an aspect that teams will target.

The Sharks coach said Boland ‘grind’ teams are good in set-piece play.

“They are very exciting, the way they play – with players like [fullback] James Tedder, wing Donovan Don and veteran scrumhalf Louis [Schreuder], who controls the game.

“We expect a real grind from Boland, but if the game opens up their outside backs can finish the opportunities [that come their way].”

Hawies Fourie has made five changes to the starting line-up that beat the Pumas in Mbombela last Friday.

According to the Cavaliers coach, some changes were made due to injuries.

Sauliegh Arendse and Erik Lambrecht have been rewarded for their recent performances, earning them a place in the starting line-up.

Flyhalf Ashlon Davids is out of action after suffering a knee injury in Mbombela last week.

However, there is also a piece of good news with wing Donovan Don, who is the tournament’s leading try scorer with seven tries in just four matches, returning from the knee injury he sustained in round four against the Bulls.

Among the forwards, Arendse comes in at flank, with Khwezi Mafu moving to the bench.

Sidney Tobias returns at hooker after being rested against the Pumas, with HP van Schoor being named on the bench.

Juan Mostert replaces Davids at flyhalf, while the versatile Lambrecht is rewarded for his good performance against the Pumas with a place in the starting line-up at outside centre.

David Brits consequently moves to the bench.

* The weekend concludes with the bottom-placed Western Province and the fifth-placed Pumas facing off in Cape Town.

Jimmy Stonehouse’s Pumas have a golden opportunity to climb into the top four and will no doubt target a bonus-point victory against winless Province.

If the Lions fail to beat the Bulls, the Pumas could find themselves in fourth place heading into the final round.

WP, on the other hand, will be playing for pride and a chance to get off the bottom of the table.

“The return of [World Cup-winning Springbok] Deon Fourie shows their desperation to get their first win,” Stonehouse told @rugby365com.

“They would like to show they are not as bad as the results suggest,” he added.

The experienced utility forward and Springbok World Cup winner Deon Fourie, who lifted the trophy in 2012 as captain, will feature from Province’s replacements bench.

WP coach Labeeb Levy admitted the well-worn surface, which cut up quite a bit in the South Africa versus Australia Test last week, will provide different challenges.

“The Pumas are a well-coached team, the SA Cup champions,” Levy said.

“They have a lot of synergy, a lot of cohesion.

“They will also be desperate to put their campaign back on track.

“We will know tomorrow how far we have come as a group.”

Levy admitted the surface hasn’t changed, with Cape Town’s winter having taken a toll.

“We are starting two hours later than last week’s Springbok Test, so there will be dew on the surface,” Levy told @rugby365com, adding: “It will be similar underfoot and surface.

“It will impact our game.

“We know what challenges the Pumas present, so we would like to be a bit more territorial.

“We would like to have a go, but we can’t drown ourselves on the surface.”

All the teams and predictions for Saturday, August 30, follow below …

Lions v Bulls
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Lions by 12 points

Teams

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smit, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 WJ Steenkamp, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 PJ Botha (captain), 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Tian Wessels, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Sam Francis, 23 Eduan Keyter.

Bulls: 15 Boeta Chamberlain, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Cornel Smit, 12 Chris Barend Smit, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Zak Burger, 8 JJ Theron, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Nama Xaba (captain), 5 Dylan de Leeuw, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Bryan le Roux, 2 Esethu Mnebelele, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima.
Replacements: 16. Shaun Schurmann, 17. Ruan Swart, 18. Cohen Kievit, 19. Abri van der Westhuizen, 20 Marco Ferreira, 21 Brooklyn Newman, 22 PA van Niekerk, 23 Katlego Letebele.

Referee: Sean Muller
Assistant referees: Phumzile Mbewu, Caleb Hibbert
TMO: Egon Seconds

Sharks v Boland Cavaliers
(Woodburn Stadium, Pietermaritzburg – Kick-off: 17.10; 15.10 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Cavaliers by 11 points

Teams

Sharks: 15 Hakeem Kunene, 14 Phikolomzi Sobahle, 13 Diego Apollis, 12 Albie Bester, 11 Paschal Ekeji, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Ceano Everson, 8 Nicholas Hatton (captain), 7 Jannes Potgieter, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Deon Slabbert, 4 Coetzee Le Roux, 3 Mawande Mdanda, 2 Jacques Marais, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Bryce Calvert, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Bathobele Hlekani, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Tiaan Fourie, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Christie Grobbelaar.

Boland Cavaliers: 15 James Tedder, 14 Donovan Don, 13 Erik Lambrecht, 12 Lunathi Nxele, 11 Xavier Mitchell, 10 Juan Mostert, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Thurlow Marsh (captain), 7 Sibusiso Sangweni, 6 Sauliegh Arendse, 5 Jurie van Vuuren, 4 Michael Benadie, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Wayrin Losper.
Replacements: 16 HP van Schoor, 17 Mthokozisi Gumede, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Ameer Hendricks, 20 Khwezi Mafu, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 David Brits, 23 Domenic Smit.

Referee: Dylen November
Assistant referees: Paul Mente, Giana Viljoen
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen

Western Province v Pumas
(Cape Town Stadium, Greenpoint – Kick-off: 19.20; 17.20 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Pumas by eight points

Teams

Western Province: 15 Luke Burger, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Gino Cupido, 12 Damian Markus, 11 Jared Africa, 10 Kyle Smith, 9 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 8 Louw Nel (captain), 7 Connor Evans, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Riley Norton, 4 Alex Groves, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Mhleli Khuzwayo.
Replacements: 16 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Herman Lubbe, 19 Deon Fourie, 20 De Wet Marais, 21 Asad Moos, 22 Ronald Brown, 23 Brendan Venter.

Pumas: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Ludi Msenge, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Clinton Swart, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 7 Ruwald van der Merwe, 6 Ntsika Fisanti, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 JJ Scheepers, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Etienne Janke.
Replacements: 16 Darnelle Osuagwu, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Hanno Theunissen, 20 Andre Fouche, 21 Russwill Fredericks, 22 Danrich Visagie, 23 Tiaan Pretorius.

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Lulutho Matomela
TMO: Archie Moko

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