22 August 2019, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

CURRIE CUP PREDICTIONS – ROUND 7

The stakes couldn’t be higher heading into what promises to be a thrilling final round of the Currie Cup regular season on Saturday.

Which of the big unions will miss out on the play-offs after pace-setting Griquas (19) punched their ticket to the semi-finals last weekend? Two points back are the Free State Cheetahs – second, due to their superior points-difference – and Golden Lions, while the defending champion Sharks (14) have worked their way up to fourth place. Fifth-placed Western Province (13) have it all to do and will be hoping Griquas or the Blue Bulls do them a favour.

Who will be the final four when the dust settles, and who would have secured home ground advantage? With permutations aplenty and the return of several Springboks set to add further fuel to the fire, the stage is set for a weekend of Currie Cup rugby at its best.

This crunch clash in Kimberley is a straight shootout for a home semi-final. Griquas’ fairy-tale season continued last weekend when they claimed a deserved win over Western Province. The 27-23 victory secured them a first semi-final appearance in 21 years and solidified their place at the top of the log heading into the final round.

Brent Janse van Rensburg’s charges have been mightily impressive with their 10-man brand of rugby. The pack has powered the Griquas uprising and general George Whitehead has dictated terms with aplomb in the No.10 jersey. They were clinical once again against Province and the backs added some razzle-dazzle and scored a few terrific tries.

The Lions, who welcome back lineout leader Marvin Orie from the Bok camp, experienced a twist of fate after having lady luck on their side in the first half of the competition. After three incredible comeback victories, the men from Johannesburg have lost their last two (against the Bulls and Sharks).

The visitors have the heart and talent to go all the way but haven’t been able to put it all together this season. They’ll need to finally produce an 80-minute performance if they are to conquer Griquas in Kimberley. Based on their current contrasting form, you’d have to go with Griquas to continue their winning ways.

Prediction: Griquas by 6. 

BET: GRI v LIO

The horrified look on John Dobson’s face during last Friday’s clash against Griquas said everything about Western Province’s troubling campaign. The promise of the 20-5 win over the Bulls in the opening round quickly faded and they’ve managed just one win since, over the last-placed Pumas.

Bonus points kept them in the top four until last weekend, when the loss to Griquas saw them drop to fifth place. They had serious issues at scrum time, lacked patience and continued to make a litany of unforced errors. Fortunately for the Cape side, they welcome back Bok trio Scarra Ntubeni, Wilco Louw and Dillyn Leyds for this vital clash. Another Bok, Damian Willemse, who made an impressive return from injury as a super-sub last weekend, and loose forward Jaco Coetzee should further bolster the side.

Thanks to their bonus-point will over the Pumas last weekend, which snapped a two-match losing run, the Cheetahs have one of the inside lanes in the race for a home semi-final. They weren’t as clinical as they would’ve liked in Nelspruit but still managed to score six tries in the 43-37 win.

I expect both teams to lift their game significantly and for the Free Staters to eke out the win.

Prediction: Free State by 2.

BET: FS v WP

The Sharks have been in playoff mode since Round Five after a dreadful start saw them lose two out of three. One of those, the shock loss to the Pumas in Nelspruit, was particularly costly given Jimmy Stonehouse’s men, despite their passionate endeavour, were always destined to finish at the bottom of the log.

The precarious position they put themselves in lit a fire under the defending champions and was seemingly the spark they needed. With newfound focus and intensity, the Durbanites defied the odds with their back-to-back wins over the Cheetahs and Lions over the past fortnight and consequently climbed back into the top four.

Young scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba has been at the heart of the Sharks’ turnaround with successive Man of the Match performances. The rookie No.9 has brought contagious enthusiasm and a level of unpredictability to the team. On Sunday, he showed what an accurate goal-kicker he is as well, contributing 15 points in the 30-28 win at Ellis Park.

The Sharks have momentum on their side and will be bolstered by Bok duo Thomas du Toit and Andre Esterhuizen. At the time of writing, it was unclear whether Curwin Bosch would be available after missing the Lions clash through injury. The Bok playmaker’s return would be a game-changer.

The Bulls have underperformed this season, winning just two of their five fixtures, but the heroic 31-26 win over the Lions last time out, despite losing flank Fred Eksteen to a red card in the 19th minute and conceding two yellow cards, showed the character of the side.

Coming off a bye, they’ll want to pick up where they left off in what is a vital game for them as well. The men from Pretoria are on the precipice of the unthinkable – having to defend their top tier status in a promotion-regulation game. That will be their fate should they, at the very least, fail to pick up a bonus point.

Strangely, they also have a slim chance of sneaking into the semi-finals. For that to happen, Province will have to come up short in Bloemfontein and the Bulls will have to beat the Sharks by 12 points. Both teams thus have all to play for. The Bulls will be fired up and returning Boks Lizo Gqoboka and Marco van Staden are sure to make an impact, but the Sharks are on a roll and should leave Loftus with a win.

Prediction: Sharks by 5.

BET: BUL v SHA

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Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.