Road to the Currie Cup play-offs

With one round of fixtures left before the Currie Cup play-offs it is crunch time this weekend with the top six teams still in with a shout of securing a semifinal spot in South Africa’s premier domestic competition.

Another factor which could spice things up even more this weekend is the returning Springboks who will be available for selection in the Currie Cup for the first time this season.

Whether the coaches will load their teams with returning stars or stick to the combinations that have served them all season long is another matter, but it surely will be a massive temptation for sides like the Sharks, Blue Bulls and Western Province as they search for glory.

The Lions have led the way all season and they are the only team for whom the result will not mean anything, as they have top spot already sewn up – something they have not achieved since 1999.

However, that does not mean that the Lions will be taking it easy, they will want to keep their momentum going and they face a Sharks team that will be hungry to secure a home semifinal and land an important psychological blow ahead of the play-offs.

If the Sharks manage to beat the Lions in Durban then they will play their semifinal at Kings Park, but if they falter then the Cheetahs will have a chance to secure home advantage in their semifinal by beating Griquas in Bloemfontein.

Those top three sides are the only ones assured of their place in the play-offs, with the three teams below them set to scrap over the final spot in the semifinals.

Western Province have the inside track and they will claim that last place if they can secure victory over the Pumas at Newlands this weekend. However, if Allister Coetzee’s team stumble against the Pumas, who were desperately unlucky to lose out to the Cheetahs last week, then the Blue Bulls or the Griquas could sneak in.

The Blue Bulls will be confident of coming away from their clash with the lowly Leopards at Loftus Versfeld with a full house of five points, and they have a points difference that is 47 points better than the Griquas who face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

That means that the Griquas will need both Province and the Bulls to lose to the two teams that are completely out of the running. They can still get through if the Bulls score only three tries against the Leopards, but they will need to beat the Cheetahs and score four tries in the process.

Here is a break down of where each team stands:

Lions:
Current position: First (last week – first)
Best possible position: First
Worst possible finish: First
Current form: W W W L D W
Remaining fixture:
October 15: v Sharks, away

Sharks:
Current position: Second (last week – second)
Best possible position: Second
Worst possible position: Third
Current form: L W W W L W   
Remaining fixture:
October 15: v Lions, home

Cheetahs:
Current position: Third (last week – third)
Best possible position: Second
Worst possible position: Third
Current form: W D W W D W
Remaining fixture:
October 15: v Griquas, home

Western Province:
Current position: Fourth (last week – fourth)
Best possible position: Fourth
Worst possible position: Sixth
Current form: W W L L W L              
Remaining fixture:
October 15: v Pumas, home

Blue Bulls:
Current position: Fifth (last week – fifth)
Best possible position: Fourth
Worst possible position: Sixth
Current form: W W D L W L
Remaining fixture:
October 14: v Leopards, home

Griquas:
Current position: Sixth (last week – sixth)
Best possible position: Fourth
Worst possible position: Sixth
Current form: L L L L W W
Remaining fixture:
October 15: v Cheetahs away

Pumas:
Current position: Seventh (last week – seventh)
Best possible position: Seventh
Worst possible position: Seventh
Current form: W L L L L L
Remaining fixture:
October 15: Western Province, away

Leopards:
Current position: Eighth (last week – eighth)
Best possible position: Eighth
Worst possible position: Eighth
Current form: L L L L L
Remaining fixture:
October 14: v Blue Bulls away