Preview: Currie Cup, Round Six

 

The weekend's opening game, on Friday, sees the Eastern province Kings – still hunting for their first win – welcoming the Blue Bulls, who surprised many by overcoming the Lions last week.

 

The Bulls have finally clawed their way to a respectable position in the tournament, after two victories, and they are one of the teams that will be desperate to keep that winning momentum.

 

The first game on Saturday sees an overhauled Sharks team travel to Bloemfontein, where they have a lot to prove after lethargically bumbling through the tournament thus far.

 

The Cheetahs were humbled by the high-flying Pumas last weekend and would like to get back to winning ways after they overcame the Griquas a fortnight ago.

 

The big game of the weekend is a replay of one of the best encounters in Round Three, as the Lions welcome back the undefeated Western Province.

 

Province have looked unstoppable, but the Lions – who were the favourites last time out – will be hoping to fight back and be the first side to topple the mighty WP.

 

The game in Kimberley will see the impressive Pumas looking for another away win against Griquas, who recorded a good victory over the defending champion Sharks last weekend.

 

 

 

The Bulls seem to have finally arrived at the party after an extremely slow and rusty start.

 

The men from Pretoria managed to just pip the struggling Kings in Round Three by five points, 30-25, but it was last weekend's 36-26 victory over Lions that has made many sit up in their seats.

 

The Bulls looked far more composed as they enacted their physical and clinical game plan over the impressive Lions at Loftus Versfeld.

 

For the Kings, it has been a disappointing tournament thus far, and sadly, there does not seem to be much progress from the men from the Eastern Cape.

 

Carlos Spencer and his men have become the whipping boys of the Currie Cup having only picked up a single losing bonus point against this week's opposition, the Bulls.

 

Even after suffering such demoralising defeats, it would be understandable for the Kings' players to be dejected, but both the coach and captain maintain there is no morale problem in the camp.

 

Captain Steven Sykes said he didn't believe there was any doubt in the team.

 

“We are really positive and looking forward to the last five games. The guys are fired up and it’s great that we’re playing at home,” he said.

 

Meanwhile Spencer made further mention of their some of their other problems.

 

"In all five games we have fallen behind easily so we have always been in a position where we are chasing the game and, unfortunately, we are not good enough at the moment to pull ourselves out of that position," Spencer said.

 

"We have a chance to turn the season around so people will remember us for the five weeks coming not the five weeks that have already been."

 

The Bulls, meanwhile, will be looking to impose their authority on the home side as they strive to build on last weekend's win over the Lions.

 

Their attacking qualities have been boosted by the return of ace wings Akona Ndungane and Bjorn Basson, and they will be aiming to keep the pressure on the home side. 

 

"Akona and Bjorn are old campaigners and it is great to get them back as a pair," Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said.

 

"They have put together some great performances for us in the past and it is a vital time for them to return this weekend."

 

Despite having their spirits lifted by the Lions triumph, Ludeke knows there are no easy games in the competition and is preparing for a tough Kings challenge.

 

"We want to repeat what we achieved against the Lions, but we know the EP Kings have similar strengths and like to move the ball. They are a dangerous side," he said.

 

"That will be the challenge for us. It is vital for us to be consistent in our performance and to play consistently well, then you give yourself the opportunity to get the result as well.

 

"We have finally picked up some momentum in the competition and it is important to keep that going."

 

Prediction: The Kings have not looked close to winning a game yet. They have put on bits of enterprising play, but there has not been a performance that is near 80 minutes long – this has been their downfall. On the other hand, the Bulls have slowly put together more and more impressive and complete performances, they also welcome back some experience on the wings which should add some venom to their backline. Expect the Bulls to be rampant in Port Elizabeth

 

 

Eastern Province Kings: 15 Scott van Breda, 14 Ronnie Cooke, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Shane Gates, 11 Siviwe Soyizwapi, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Kevin Luiters, 8 Paul Schoeman, 7 Devon Oosthuizen, 6 Shaun McDonald, 5 Steven Sykes (captain), 4 David Bulbring, 3 Christoffel van der Linde, 2 Edgar Marutlulle, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.

Replacements: 16 Mike van Vuuren, 17 Simon Kerrod, 18 Bennie Uys, 19 Darron Nel, 20 Stefan Willemse, 21 Tobie Botes, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa.

 

Blue Bulls: 15 Ulrich Beyers, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Jacques Louis Potgieter, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Deon Stegmann (captain), 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Dean Greyling.

Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Basil Short, 18 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Rudi Paige, 21 Tian Schoeman/Tony Jantjies, 22 William Small-Smith.

 

Referee: Quinton Immelman

Assistant referees: Christie du Preez, Vusi Msibi

TMO: Jason Jaftha

 

 

Both the Sharks and the Cheetahs hit a stumbling block last weekend when they went down against the promoted Pumas and Griquas respectively.

 

The Sharks have has a total overhaul of their backline which seemed to be dragging its heels through the tournament, coach Brad Mcleod-Henderson has made five changes to the backs and an additional change in the forwards.

 

Tim Swiel starts at fullback with journeyman Lionel Cronje replacing flyhalf Fred Zeilinga who drops to the bench.

 

There is a brand new centre combination on Cronje's outside as Junior Springbok Andre Esterhuizen links up with Sibusiso Sithole whose place on the wing is taken by Tonderai Chavhanga.

 

Fullback Jaco van Tonder and centres Paul Jordaan and Heimar Williams have all been dropped from the match-day squad completely.

 

The only two changes to the forward pack come in the tight five with the experienced Marco Wentzel in for Wiehan Hay, and Dale Chadwick at loosehead prop with Thomas du Toit on the bench.

 

Both Esterhuizen and Swiel will be making their Currie Cup debuts with the coach clearly excited to be able to call on the youngsters.

 

"They are both special players, Andre is a big, strong guy, he can carry ball for us, and Tim has a lot of pace, some twinkle toes, so he can generate some magic out wide," Mcleod-Henderson said.

 

"Andre has a number of strengths, he also has a nice boot. I’m confident they can do the job.

 

"Paul has been given off this week and he’s gone away, Heimar has done his groin, he’s probably out for the next 3 or 4 weeks."

 

For the Cheetahs there is another overhaul in terms of selection with Rory Duncan only retaining scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius in the backline.

 

Pieter Labuschagne finally makes his first start of the season.

 

Utility back Rayno Benjamin finds himself at fullback in a completely new back three which features Shimlas flyer Maphutha Dolo and midfielder JP du Plessis on the wings.

 

Benjamin shifts to fullback in place of Clayton Blommetjies who has been ruled out with a knee injury, whilst Du Plessis moves to the wing to replace Raymond Rhule who is battling a neck injury.

 

Consequently Francois Venter moves from inside to outside centre as Joubert Engelbrecht takes his place, whilst Willie du Plessis gets another chance to impress at flyhalf.

 

Labuschagne makes his first start of the season at No.8 in place of Jean Cook who has injured a calf muscle.

 

Prediction: The Sharks and Cheetahs have both punished poor individual performers by shaking up their teams, the issue is that this could either work wonders or backfire totally.

The temas may be unaccustomed to each other and thus misfire. The Cheetahs have been erratic, putting on some special performances at times but also looking somewhat flat at others. For the Sharks it is a case of constantly performing averagely – until the Pumas loss which was a totally poor performance. Expect the home ground to play a big role as the Cheetahs win by 6.

 

 

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Rayno Benjamin, 14 Maphutha Dolo, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Joubert Engelbrecht, 11 JP du Plessis, 10 Willie Du Plessis, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Pieter Labuschagne, 7 Neil Claassen, 6 Tienie Burger, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Henco Venter, 3 George Marich, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld (captain), 1 Caylib Oosthuizen.

Replacements: 16 Abraham le Roux, 17 Rudolph Botha, 18 Werner Lourens, 19 Vincent Jobo, 20 Shaun Venter, 21 Pieter-Steyn de Wet, 22 AJ Coertzen.

 

Sharks: 15 Tim Swiel, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Siyabonga Sithole, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Tonderai Chavhanga, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Conrad Hoffmann, 8 Lubabalo Tera Mtembu (captain), 7 Etienne Oosthuizen, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Stephen Lewies, 4 Marco Wentzel, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Dale Chadwick. 

Replacements: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Johan Meyer, 19 Khaya Majola, 20 Cameron Wright, 21 Fred Zeilinga, 22 SP Marais. 

 

Referee: Stuart Berry

Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge, Cwengile Jadezweni

TMO: JJ Wagner

 

 

Griquas have momentum to build on while the Pumas are starting to build a reputation to uphold.

 

The Pumas, as the surprise package of the competition, have to stop relying on the surprise factor as many teams are starting to take them far more seriously.

 

They have now picked three solid victories, taking down the defending champions – the Sharks – as well as the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

 

Jimmy Stonehouse and his passionate players have received plenty of praise for their direct, hard-edge style of play. 

 

However it is more than that, the culture that has developed in Nelspruit has a flavour to what has been brewing in Johannesburg for sometime now.

 

Interestingly, history favours the Griquas as they have won five of their last six matches between the sides in Kimberley.

 

In terms of form, the Pumas have scored only four more tries than the Griquas this season, but the hosts’ defence has let them down, which is an area they will focus on going into this clash.

 

Prediction: The Griquas have finally showed the form that saw them 'promoted' to the Currie Cup, but in saying that the Pumas are the original promotion-relegation winners (over the Griquas), and on performance alone in the past Five round, the Pumas are well ahead. Pumas to win by a tight margin.

 

 

Griquas: 15 Gouws Prinsloo, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Johnathan Francke, 12 Gideon la Grange, 11 Petrus Vermeulen, 10 Francois Brummer (captain), 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Carel Greeff, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Jaco Nepgen, 4 Hilton Lobberts, 3 Ewald van der Westhuizen, 2 Martin Bezuidenhout, 1 Steph Roberts.

Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Nicolaas van Dyk, 18 Hugo Kloppers, 19 Burger Schoeman, 20 RJ Liebenberg, 21 Abrie Griesel, 22 Dean Grant.

 

Pumas: 15 Coenie van Wyk, 14 Jerome Pretorius, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Rosko Speckman, 10 Justin van Staden, 9 Reynier van Rooyen, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Corné Steenkamp (captain), 5 Lubabalo Mtyanda, 4 Frikkie Spies, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Francois du Toit, 1 Corné Fourie.

Replacements: 16 Frankie Herne, 17 DeJay Terblanche, 18 Marius Coetzer, 19 Jaco Bouwer, 20 Sinovuyo Nyoka, 21 JC Roos, 22 JW Bell.

 

Referee: Craig Joubert

Assistant referees: Rodney Bonaparte, Francois de Bruin Francois

 

 

The Golden Lions face an tough task in Johannesburg against log-leaders Western Province, who have yet to be beaten this season. 

 

While the Cape side will be looking to maintain, or possibly extend, their lead on the log table with the hope of remaining in pole position for a possible home semifinal and final, the Golden Lions will be determined to bounce back from their defeat against the Blue Bulls as they also have their eyes set on a possible home semifinal. 

 

Should the Johannesburg side succeed in this quest, it could open the door the other teams to have a shot at taking over the top spot on the log in the next few weeks.

 

While the teams may place little significance on history, the hosts, in particular, will be mindful of the fact that the Cape side has won only one of their last 10 Currie Cup matches at Ellis Park.

 

In Johannesburg Golden Lions coach Johan Ackermann made a few changes to his backline with Lionel Mapoe and Nicolaas Hanekom joining forces in the midfield, while scrumhalf Ricky Schroeder replaces the injured Ross Cronje.

 

There were also a few changes to the pack with the most significant being Springbok Sevens star Albertus Smith earning a start at flank.

 

His Western Province counterpart Allister Coetzee, meanwhile, made two changes to his team with Springbok prop Pat Cilliers starting at tighthead and flyhalf Kurt Coleman being handed a start.

 

Scrumhalf Godlen Masimla has been named on the bench and could make his Currie Cup debut if he takes to the field.

 

Hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni has also been included on the bench.

 

Prediction: A tough one to call, Province have all the momentum and form, but they have little pressure or push – and that is a danger. The Lions are a wounded team, and a quality one to boot, perhaps they can be the competition that Province need, but may not be expecting. Expect home ground to play its part again as the Lions record a famous win.

 

 

Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe (Captain), 12 Nicolaas Hanekom, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Ricky Schroeder, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Albertus Smith, 6 Jaco Kriel/Warwick Tecklenburg, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Luvuyiso Lusaseni, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Martin Muller, 19 Warwick Tecklenburg/Steph de Wit, 20 Michael Bondesio, 21 Mark Richards, 22 Howard Mnisi.

 

Western Province: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Juan de Jongh (Captain), 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Pat Howard, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Michael Rhodes, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Pat Cilliers , 2 Stephan Coetzee, 1 Alistair Vermaak.

Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Manuel Carizza, 19 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 20 Godlen Masimla, 21 Demetri Catrakilis, 22 Justin Geduld.

 

Referee: Jaco Peyper

Assistant referees: Federico Anselmi (Argentina), Tahla Ntshakaza

TMO: Willie Vos