Currie Cup, semifinals - teams and predictions
PREVIEW: There will be a big spotlight in Johannesburg and Kimberley when the Currie Cup play-offs get underway on Saturday.
The Lions host Boland at Ellis Park in the first encounter, which will be followed by the encounter at Griqua Park, where Griquas host their central South African neighbours, the Cheetahs.
The Lions secured pole position with a commanding 37-7 victory over Griquas in the final round of the league action last weekend, meaning they will be brimming with confidence heading into the semifinal.
Their form this season has been impressive, which enabled them to finish the league phase at the top of the log with five wins from seven matches.
Their only two losses came against the Cheetahs (31-47) and Boland (10-29), interestingly, both on the road. The latter result will no doubt be extra motivation for the Joburg outfit, who will be keen to avenge that loss and continue their dominance at Ellis Park.
“Boland will be buoyed by their Currie Cup form, and after having got a positive result against us in the Boland, no doubt they’ll throw the kitchen sink at us,” said Lions coach Mzwakhe Nkosi.
“We’ll be prepared and up for it – it’s a home play-off so we fully want to take advantage of home ground conditions.”.
Boland, meanwhile, have enjoyed a memorable campaign since being promoted to the Currie Cup after the SA Cup.
They have consistently proved their credentials, securing a top-four finish with four wins and a couple of close-fought losses. Their home victory over the Lions in the league phase was a definite highlight, demonstrating their ability to ruffle the feathers of the more experienced teams.
However, they are coming off a 22-40 derby defeat to Western Province in their final league match, a result that saw them slip from second to fourth place on the final log.
Boland coach Hawies Fourie knows they would need to regroup quickly and rediscover the form that saw them winning on a regular basis.
This match is set for a clash of styles, with the attacking rugby of the Lions against the tenacious, hard-working grit of the Boland side.
Boland’s ability to defend stoutly and capitalise on their opportunities will be key, while the Lions, on the other hand, will look to dominate the set-piece with their more experienced pack, hoping to unleash their dangerous backline at their high-altitude venue.
“They [Lions] play with real width on attack and they’ve got good breakdowns,” said Boland assistant coach Charl Strydom.
“On defence, we’ve managed throughout the competition to slow opposition ball down and to have a crack at the breakdown. We did that well in the previous game against them.
“We’ve got the players to hurt them off turnover attack. We want to keep the ball and make them tackle and tire them out, and when we defend, we want to be in their faces.”
The second semifinal pits two of the competition’s most consistent performers against each other when Griquas host the Cheetahs in Kimberley.
Both have been in good form for much of the season, and their neighbourly rivalry adds an extra layer of intensity to this knock-out encounter.
Griquas have the better run-in of the two teams, winning five consecutive games after a first-round loss. This run of form saw them rise to the top of the log before their final-round defeat to the Lions.
Despite the setback, their home ground advantage in Kimberley should be a key factor.
Griqua Park has been a formidable venue for visiting teams – Griquas’ last defeat there was more than a year ago against the Lions – and the team from the Diamond City will look to make home ground advantage count to book their spot in next weekend’s final.
“We are expecting a lot of people to attend the game, and with it being against the Cheetahs as well, people will drive 150km [from Bloemfontein] to come watch the match,” said Griquas head coach Pieter Bergh.
“It will be a special atmosphere. At the beginning of the season, we said we only had three home games, and to give ourselves another shot and our supporters another home game is special.
“For the players, it is important to just stay in the moment.”
Equally, the Cheetahs also had a strong season. Four wins allowed them to finish tied on 23 points with Boland to clinch third place in the standings due to a superior points’ differential.
However, their form has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, with big wins and close-fought losses.
Furthermore, Frans Steyn’s Free Staters will be looking to bounce back from a narrow 31-35 away defeat to the Bulls in their final league encounter.
A late surge in last weekend’s exciting game showed their typical fighting spirit, and they will need every bit of that resilience against a good Griquas outfit.
Their Currie Cup head-to-head record in the last five seasons is closely contested, with each team securing four wins, plus a drama-filled draw in the last nine encounters between them, which points to another tight, exciting battle on the cards.
“I’m proud of the boys for the way they’ve fought to reach the semifinals,” said Steyn. “The work was done throughout the season, and now it’s about executing on the day.
“We need to focus on what we do best, enjoy the game, and play for each other.
“Against Griquas earlier in the season, we let small individual errors creep in, and those moments made the scoreline look worse than the performance. We’ve learned from that, and we’re determined to put together a complete 80-minute performance this weekend.
“For me, we’ve already achieved something special this season. But at the same time, semifinals are about delivering when it matters most, and the boys know what’s at stake.”
Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete added: “We’re excited for the challenge ahead. Everyone in the squad wants more.
“We’re improving week by week, and we know we need to step up against Griquas. Last time we didn’t get it right, but this is our chance to fix that.”
See below for Saturday’s teams and predictions!
Saturday, September 13:
Lions v Boland
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 17.00; 15.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Lions by 18 points.
Teams:
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 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 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Lubabalo Dobela, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.
Boland: 15 James Tedder, 14 Xavier Mitchell, 13 David Brits, 12 Lunathi Nxele, 11 Jayden Bantom, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Thurlow Marsh (captain), 7 Sibusiso Sangweni, 6 Khwezi Mafu, 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Ameer Hendricks, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Mthokozisi Gumede.
Replacements: 16 HP van Schoor, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Michael Benadie, 20 Jurie van Vuuren, 21 Chriswill September, 22 Juan Mostert, 23 Erik Lambrecht.
Referee: Griffin Colby
Assistant referees: Hanru van Rooyen, Sean Muller
TMO: Egon Seconds
Griquas v Cheetahs
(Griqua Park, Kimberley – Kick-off: 19.15; 17.15 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Griquas by six points.
Teams:
Griquas: 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelenedaba, 11 Gurswin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Caleb Abrahams, 8 Gustav Erlank, 7 Carl Els, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Malembe Mpofu, 2 Cebo Dlamini (captain), 2 Janco Uys, 1 Eddie Davids.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Lange, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 IG Prinsloo, 19 Derik Pretorius, 20 Marco de Witt, 21 Thomas Bursey, 22 Tom Nel, Connor Mahoney.
Cheetahs: 15 Michael Annies, 14 Prince Nkabinde, 13 Marco Janse van Vuren, 12 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 11 Cohen Jasper, 10 Clayton Blommetjies, 9 Jandré Nel, 8 Neels Volschenk, 7 Pierre Raymond Uys, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Juan Venter, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Marko Jansen van Rensburg, 1 Cameron Dawson.
Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Tielman Niewoudt, 18 John Kelly Okonkwo, 19 Sisonke Vumazonke, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Ali Mgijima, 23 Banie Britz.
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, AJ Jacobs
TMO: Marius Jonker
