Road to play-offs: Frightening Friday
The focus will obviously be on the Springboks and the Rugby Championship, but the Currie Cup may well steal some of the spotlight in the next few weeks.
It is going to get scary, starting with this coming Friday, as the Currie Cup competition heads into the home stretch.
With just three rounds of league action remaining, all six teams can still get into the semifinals – although Griquas and the Blues Bulls will rely on some charity.
In fact they play in a match in Kimberley on Saturday that will definitely knock one of them out of the running.
Then there is the top four, who all go head-to-head on Friday, which will go a long way towards determining home ground advantage in the play-offs.
The pace-setters, the Sharks and Western Province, both travel away this week – the Sharks playing the fast-improving Golden Lions at Ellis Park and WP up against a desperate Free State Cheetahs team in Bloemfontein.
The mathematical possibilities and eventualities are likely to make your head spin, but there is no doubt Friday's fixtures and Saturday's Kimberley showdown will be a great appetiser to Saturday's big Test at Newlands – when South Africa host Australia.
Jan de Koning takes a look at each team's road to a possible place in the play-offs!
1. Sharks
Current position: First
Best possible finish: First
Wort possible finish: Sixth
Remaining fixtures:
Versus Golden Lions, away
Versus Blue Bull, away
Versus Western Province, at home
2. Western Province
Current position: Second
Best possible finish: First
Wort possible finish: Sixth
Remaining fixtures:
Versus FS Cheetahs, away
Versus Golden Lions, home
Versus Sharks, away
3. Golden Lions
Current position: Third
Best possible finish: First
Wort possible finish: Sixth
Remaining fixtures:
Versus Sharks, home
Versus Western Province, away
Versus Griquas, home
4. Free State Cheetahs
Current position: Fourth
Best possible finish: First
Wort possible finish: Sixth
Remaining fixtures:
Versus Western Province, home
Versus Griquas, away
Versus Blue Bulls, home
5. Blue Bulls
Current position: Fifth
Best possible finish: Third
Wort possible finish: Sixth
Remaining fixtures:
Versus Griquas, away
Versus Sharks, home
Versus FS Cheetahs, away
6. Griquas
Current position: Sixth
Best possible finish: Third
Wort possible finish: Sixth
Remaining fixtures:
Versus Blue Bulls, home
Versus FS Cheetahs, home
Versus Golden Lions, away
