ABSA Currie Cup First Division Preview – Round 10
Brendon Snyman during the game between the Ford Pumas and the Leopards, Mbombela stadium Nelspruit, Absa Currie Cup, 23/09/2011. Photo Andrew Schoeman /Rugby15.
The Ford Pumas will look to keep in touch with runaway log leaders the Eastern Province Kings when they host the SWD Eagles in a vital Absa Currie Cup First Division Round 10 match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday.
With only four rounds remaining of the new, eight-team competition, the Pumas, on 32 points, are eight adrift of the Kings and in danger of slipping further behind unless they are able to reverse the 22-16 defeat they suffered at the hands of the fifth-placed Eagles in George last month.
In Saturday’s other match, the Leopards, who have improved steadily since the arrival of veteran Springbok flyhalf André Pretorius but still find themselves in fourth, 13 points behind the Kings, host defending champions the Regent Boland Kavaliers at Profert Olën Park in Potchefstroom.
The Kavaliers have experienced a nightmare season, with six losses and a draw in their nine games to date – with one of those defeats coming at the hands of the Leopards (23-21) when the two sides met in Malmesbury last month.
Round 10 kicks off on Friday evening with two matches in the Eastern Cape. The EP Kings, with eight wins and a draw thus far, will look to extend their lead at the top of the standings and keep intact their unbeaten record when they take on the sixth-placed Valke at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The Valke, with three wins under their belts this season, have once again displayed ample amounts of their trademark never-say-die attitude, but they will have to rely on more than dogged determination if they are to reverse their 37-20 home defeat to the Kings in Kempton Park last month.
Friday’s other match sees the winless Border Bulldogs host the third-placed Griffons at the Buffalo City Municipal Stadium in East London, with Bulldogs fans hoping their side can finally begin their climb up from the bottom of the table against the men from Welkom – who managed to eke out a 29-24 home win when they two sides met in the first round.
Leopards flyhalf André Pretorius has moved to the top of the First Division point-scoring log after Round 9, with 93 points made up of 24 conversions, 13 penalties and 2 drop goals. Just one point behind Pretorius in second place is the Pumas’ JC Roos on 92, with EP Kings flyhalf George Whitehead on 91.
Leopards wing Allister Kettledas still leads the try-scoring stakes with eight touchdowns, although he has been joined at the top of the pile by JW Bell of the Valke, with Leopards teammates Danie Dames and Philip de Wet on seven.
This weekend’s fixtures – Round 10:
EP Kings vs Valke
Date: Friday, 31 August
Kickoff: 19:00
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Referee: Stuart Berry
Assistants: Christie du Preez, Cobus Wessels
Last meeting: 14 July in Kempton Park (First round): Kings won 37-20
Border Bulldogs vs Griffons
Date: Friday, 31 August
Kickoff: 19:00
Venue: Buffalo City Municipal Stadium, East London
Referee: Sindile Mayende
Assistants: Lusanda Jam, Loyiso Bosman
Last meeting: 13 July in Welkom (First round): Griffons won 29-24
Ford Pumas vs SWD Eagles
Date: Saturday, 1 September
Kickoff: 15:00
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Referee: Joey Salmans
Assistants: Stefan Breytenbach, Stephan Geldenhuys
Last meeting: 13 July in George (First round): Eagles won 22-16
Leopards vs Regent Boland Kavaliers
Date: Saturday, 1 September
Kickoff: 15:00
Venue: Profert Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Marius Jonker
Assistants: Jaco van Heerden, James van Oudtshoorn
Television match official: Gerrie Coetzee
Last meeting: 13 July in Malmesbury (First round): Leopards won 23-21
Round 9 results:
Regent Boland Kavaliers 33-36 Ford Pumas
SWD Eagles 7-29 EP Kings
Valke 38-36 Border Bulldogs
Leopards 32-38 Griffons
Round 8 results:
Ford Pumas 38-27 Leopards
EP Kings 57-19 Regent Boland Kavaliers
Border Bulldogs 27-33 SWD Eagles
Griffons 36-39 Valke
Round 7 results:
Griffons 34-67 Ford Pumas
Border Bulldogs 32-39 Regent Boland Kavaliers
Valke 22-47 SWD Eagles
EP Kings 20-12 Leopards
Round 6 results:
Leopards 53-28 Border Bulldogs
Regent Boland Kavaliers 79-26 Valke
SWD Eagles 20-13 Griffons
Ford Pumas 30-30 EP Kings
Round 5 results:
Griffons 10-34 EP Kings
Valke 22-51 Leopards
SWD Eagles 21-21 Regent Boland Kavaliers
Border Bulldogs 18-51 Ford Pumas
Round 4 results:
EP Kings 56-5 Border Bulldogs
Regent Boland Kavaliers 20-23 Griffons
Leopards 68-35 SWD Eagles
Ford Pumas 36-35 Valke
Round 3 results:
Valke 20-37 EP Kings
SWD Eagles 22-16 Ford Pumas
Griffons 29-24 Border Bulldogs
Regent Boland Kavaliers 21-23 Leopards
Round 2 results:
EP Kings 38-15 SWD Eagles
Border Bulldogs 11-33 Valke
Ford Pumas 33-10 Regent Boland Kavaliers
Griffons 41-20 Leopards
Round 1 results:
Regent Boland Kavaliers 20-25 EP Kings
SWD Eagles 46-8 Border Bulldogs
Leopards 32-23 Ford Pumas
Valke 27-37 Griffons
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