Top-of-the-log battle for Currie Cup First Division
PREVIEW: The top two teams after two rounds of Currie Cup First Division action, the Griffons and SWD Eagles, are on a collision course this weekend as the league phase of the competition passes the halfway point.
Played over a single round, teams have very little room for error if they plan on reaching the semifinals in a few weeks’ time, with top spot on the log likely to be settled on Saturday.
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The other two games – both of which are also kicking off at 15.00 SA Time (13.00 GMT) on Saturday – will see the Falcons welcome the Border Bulldogs to Kempton Park, while Eastern Province host the Leopards in Kariega.
But it’s the Welkom clash where most of the interest will lie. The Griffons were given a scare by the Leopards last weekend, and during the recently completed SA Cup, they suffered a big defeat to the Eagles in George.
That match will give SWD a fair amount of confidence as they travel to the Northern Free State, where the Eagles’ wings were clipped to the tune of 57-27 when they played there in last year’s SA Cup, something they will have in the back of their minds.
Roughly 300km to the northeast, the Falcons will fancy their chances to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat by SWD when they host Border in Kempton Park.
When the two teams met in the SA Cup just over a month ago, the men from the East Rand put 50 on their hosts in East London, while the Bulldogs’ last visit to the Barnard Stadium, in May last year, ended in a 28-72 defeat at the hands of their hosts, so it’s hard to argue that the Falcons will run out as favourites on Saturday.
The third match of the weekend is in Kariega, previously Uitenhage, on the outskirts of Gqeberha, where Eastern Province take on the Leopards.
EP recorded a good win in their Eastern Cape derby over Border last weekend, and will be keen to build on that, especially since their last clash against the Leopards finished in a 43-31 away victory in Potchefstroom in April.
The Leopards, still winless after two rounds, will know they need to turn their fortunes around if they hope to reach the semi-finals, and they will be buoyed by last weekend’s close defeat in Welkom.
But travelling to the Eastern Cape is not an easy task and the Leopards will have to be at their best if they are going to beat EP in Kariega.
Saturday, June 27
Griffons v SWD Eagles
(Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Caleb Hibbert
Falcons v Border Bulldogs
(Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park -Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Zoe Naude
Eastern Province v Leopards
(Bergsig Special School, Kariega – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)
Referee: Juan de Bod
