Currie Cup Predictions – Round 7

As the race for Currie Cup playoff places continues to heat up, cross-group clashes commence this weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The action starts in Nelspruit on Friday, where the Pumas play host to the pace-setting Bulls. There are two mouth-watering games on Saturday, with the Lions hosting Western Province in Johannesburg and the Cheetahs welcoming the Sharks XV to Bloemfontein.

And finally, the Griffons will be determined to break their duck when they host Griquas in Welkom on Sunday afternoon. 

Pumas v Bulls

Friday, 16 August – 17:15

The current pride of Pumas are a far cry from the 2022 vintage who won the union’s first Currie Cup title and suffered a 55-12 away drubbing by the Lions last weekend. Nevertheless, they find themselves in fourth place with four rounds remaining before the semi-finals.

The battle against the Bulls will be a tough one for them. They were rather submissive against the Lions, allowing them easy metres with passive defence. Starved of possession and pinned in their half for long periods, they lacked the fight to get into the contest and made too many unforced errors when they did have the ball.

They have to significantly step up their physicality and accuracy if they want to compete against the unbeaten log leaders, who cruised to a 55-21 win over the Griffons last weekend. Having opted to rest several frontline players, the Bulls missed some opportunities and stuttered a tad (making 14 handling errors), but got the job done easily.

With their first-choice players fresh and raring to go, the red-hot Bulls will bank a comfortable win.

Prediction: Bulls by 22.

Lions v Western Province

Saturday, 17 August – 15:00

Trailing the Bulls by three points, the second-placed Lions will look to stay in touch with their neighbours with a win over sixth-placed Western Province, who in turn will be desperate for a result to stay in the playoff race.

The Lions, who’ve lost just one game, were fantastic in their 43-point triumph over the Pumas last weekend, a performance that highlighted what’s made them so successful this season.

Their fluid phase play allows them to play a fast-paced game, they dominate collisions, have a powerful scrum and are proficient at the breakdown. They’re playing with plenty of confidence and will be working on their kick-off receipts after making a few errors in this area against the Pumas, one of which cost them a try.

Initially, it looked like Western Province had taken the lessons they learned in their 30-25 loss to the Bulls in similarly wet weather in the opening round to heart as they started strong against the Cheetahs but couldn’t sustain the effort.

Letting a 13-point lead slip, they scored their only points of the second half in the 79th minute as they succumbed 26-19 and they similarly won’t be able to keep up with the roaring Lions for the full 80 minutes.

Prediction: Lions by 14.

Cheetahs v Sharks XV

Saturday, 17 August – 17:15

The Cheetahs will be happy to be back in Bloemfontein after their trip to rainy Cape Town.

Their composure, experience, power and depth were on full display in the Mother City as they came back from 13-0 down to come away with a seven-point win. That grit and game management will stand them defending champions, who’re lying in third place, in good stead going forward

The Sharks come into the encounter as a young team growing in confidence. They’ve turned a three-match losing streak to start into a three-match unbeaten run and looked good in their 40-21 win over Griquas last Sunday.

They dominated territory and possession, had good variation on attack plus slick interplay between forwards and backs to wrap up the result and the bonus point in the first half. That they didn’t kick on after the break would’ve been bittersweet and they’ll have to produce a complete effort if they want to shock the Cheetahs like they did the Lions. 

This will be a good test for how far the young Sharks, who’re sitting in fifth position, have come. They’ll bring the energy, but the Cheetahs are too well-oiled and should prevail at home.

Prediction: Cheetahs by 10.

Griffons v Griquas

Sunday, 18 August – 15:00

The two teams at the bottom of the log battle it out to close out the round.

The Griffons remain winless and have just two log points to show for their efforts, but they’ll feel they have a real shot at breaking their duck on Sunday. Yes, their defence isn’t up to scratch and their exits among other things, need a lot of work. However, the struggling Griquas won’t strike fear into their hearts, especially with this being a home game.

Intent and urgency are what’s required from the Peacock Blues after their 19-point defeat in Durban. After being blown out of the water following a lethargic first-half performance, they showed character to outscore the Sharks 14-5 in the second half and will be out to start strong to kill off the hosts’ hopes early.

Poor start aside, Griquas will work on having greater patience and accuracy on attack, while they also have to be much quicker to the breakdown and better under the high ball. The Purple People Eaters will throw everything at this game, but as long as Griquas stay disciplined, they should avoid slipping on the banana peel.

Prediction: Griquas by 12.

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.