Griffons begin title defence in tricky opener
PREVIEW: The Griffons will kick off the defence of their Currie Cup First Division crown with a tricky trip to East London to face the Border Bulldogs when the competition kicks off with three clashes on Saturday.
The race to the title this season promises to be hotly contested after a number of the teams in action showed what they can do in the recently completed SA Cup.
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The two other matches this weekend are taking place in Potchefstroom, where the Leopards host the SWD Eagles, and Kempton Park on Gauteng’s East Rand, where Eastern Province will take on last year’s runners-up, the Valke.
Jacques Juries’ Griffons will be keen to reverse their late slump in form in the SA Cup when they take on the Bulldogs, coached by Dumisani Mhani, but they will be wary of the men from the Eastern Cape, who put up a brave fight the last time the two sides met, in Welkom in March.
The Northern Free Staters recorded a big win in this fixture last year and would be looking to kick their campaign off in a similar fashion, while the Bulldogs will want to show some improvement from the SA Cup.
The SWD Eagles, who just missed out on Premier Division qualification in the SA Cup in their first season under former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, will travel to North West confident of starting their campaign on a winning note on the road, but they will not have forgotten last year, when the Leopards beat them in George.
SWD made amends just over a month ago when they beat Riaan van Straten’s Leopards by 69-19 at home in their final SA Cup match, and would like to start their charge to the First Division title they last won in 2018 in the same vein.
JP Immelman’s Valke, who placed sixth in the SA Cup, will be confident going into their clash against Eastern Province, not only because they are playing at home in the Barnard Stadium, but also because they are on a bit of a winning streak over the men from Gqeberha.
It won’t be a walk in the park, though, as EP, under former Bok coach Allister Coetzee, have shown they can be a dangerous opponent, and they pushed the East Randers very close in Gqeberha in the SA Cup earlier this year, and last year, the Elephants finished third on the First Division log before losing to eventual champions, the Griffons, in the semifinals.
Following a single round of matches, the top four sides will clash in the semifinals on the weekend of July 18, with the final scheduled for the following weekend.
Saturday, June 13
Border Bulldogs v Griffons
(Police Park, East London – Kick-off: 15.00 SAST; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Dylen November
Leopards v SWD Eagles
(Olen Park, Potchefstroom – Kick-off: 15h00 15.00 SAST; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Lottering
Valke v Eastern Province
(Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park – Kick-off: 15.00 SAST; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Caleb Hibbert
