ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division Preview – Round 7
Photo by Darren Tomkins/Rugby15.
Defending champions the MTN Golden Lions will be looking to avenge their first-round defeat to the Sharks when the two sides meet in a top-of-the-table Absa Currie Cup Premier Division clash in Johannesburg on Saturday night.
In what is a repeat of last year’s final, the Lions will want to use their home-ground advantage to overturn a 30-14 defeat at Mr Price KINGS PARK in Durban last month. Both sides have 20 log points, with the Johannesburg side edging their coastal rivals on points difference with four rounds remaining of the six-team competition.
In Saturday’s other matches, third-placed DHL Western Province will host high-flying GWK Griquas at Newlands, the men from Kimberley having climbed up to fourth in the standings thanks to three wins on the trot.
And in the weekend’s final match, the bottom-placed Vodacom Blue Bulls will look to turn around their season when they host the fifth-placed Toyota Free State Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, both teams having lost four of their opening six matches.
Vodacom Blue Bulls flyhalf Louis Fouché tops the Premier Division point-scoring log after Round 6, with 83 points made up of 10 conversions, 20 penalties and a drop goal. Behind Fouché in tied second place are Sharks centre Meyer Bosman and GWK Griquas flyhalf Francois Brummer, who both have 79.
Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane, Cheetahs wing Raymond Rhule, Blue Bulls loose forward CJ Stander and GWK Griquas wing Rocco Jansen are the joint top try-scorers with four touchdowns apiece.
This weekend’s fixtures – Round 7:
DHL Western Province vs GWK Griquas
Date: Saturday, 22 September
Kickoff: 15:00
Venue: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
Referee: Stuart Berry
Assistants: Sindile Mayende, Marc van Zyl
Television match official: Deon van Blommenstein
Last meeting: 18 August in Kimberley (First round): WP won 25-20
Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 22 September
Kickoff: 17:05
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistants: Lourens van der Merwe, Cobus Wessels
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman
Last meeting: 17 August in Bloemfontein (First round): Cheetahs won 32-18
MTN Golden Lions vs Sharks
Date: Saturday, 22 September
Kickoff: 19:10
Venue: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Jason Jaftha
Assistants: Jaco Peyper, Stefan Breytenbach
Television match official: JC Fortuin
Last meeting: 18 August in Durban (First round): Sharks won 30-14
Round 6 results:
Sharks 43-27 DHL Western Province
Toyota Free State Cheetahs 23-38 MTN Golden Lions
GWK Griquas 49-34 Vodacom Blue Bulls
Round 5 results:
Toyota Free State Cheetahs 22-29 DHL Western Province
Vodacom Blue Bulls 23-32 MTN Golden Lions
GWK Griquas 22-15 Sharks
Round 4 results:
MTN Golden Lions 32-42 GWK Griquas
Sharks 34-32 Toyota Free State Cheetahs
DHL Western Province 42-6 Vodacom Blue Bulls
Round 3 results:
Vodacom Blue Bulls 42-31 Sharks
MTN Golden Lions 26-23 DHL Western Province
GWK Griquas 16-29 Toyota Free State Cheetahs
Round 2 results:
Toyota Free State Cheetahs 32-18 Vodacom Blue Bulls
Sharks 30-14 MTN Golden Lions
GWK Griquas 20-25 DHL Western Province
Round 1 results:
Vodacom Blue Bulls 35-20 GWK Griquas
MTN Golden Lions 43-20 Toyota Free State Cheetahs
DHL Western Province 23-25 Sharks
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