Absa Currie Cup Preview – Week 13
The battle for semi-final home ground advantage in the Absa Currie Cup intensifies this weekend when the Vodacom Blue Bulls host Vodacom Western Province in this traditional north/south derby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday at 15h00.
The defending champions are currently in third position on the log with 38 points and are five points behind their Cape opponents who are in second place with 43. Victory for Province in Pretoria will confirm their status as one of the two sides who will host an Absa Currie Cup Premier Division semi-final next month.
However, if the Vodacom Blue Bulls can defeat Vodacom WP and achieve maximum points on Saturday, and at the same time deny Allister Coetzee’s troops any log points at Loftus Versfeld, they will end the weekend level on log points with Vodacom WP (43).
Frans Ludeke’s men, who will be at full-strength for their final league game of the season against the GWK Griquas next weekend, will fancy their chances of ending the season in second position on the log as Province will have to defeat The Sharks at Newlands to retain their second place status at the end of the league phase of the competition.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls will also claim the favourites tag in preparation of Saturday clash against WP as they have regularly defeated their Cape opponents during recent clashes at Loftus Versfeld. Vodacom WP have only recorded one victory in Pretoria since 2005 when they secured a 15-10 win over the Vodacom Blue Bulls back in 2006.
The Sharks could also book themselves a home semi-final by returning to winning ways this Friday when they host the Platinum Leopards in Durban at 19h10.
The hosts who are currently in first position on the Absa Currie Cup log with 47 points conceded their third defeat in the 2010 competition last Saturday following their 22-20 loss to the Xerox Lions in Johannesburg.
Only Vodacom WP and the Vodacom Blue Bulls could mathematically relegate The Sharks from their current position on the log and deny them the opportunity of hosting a home semi-final.
The Durban side must defeat the Platinum Leopards to secure their status as one of the two sides that will host a final-four playoff match in October. The Sharks have enjoyed a good run of form against their Friday night opponents during recent seasons after winning their last four encounters since 2005.
While the focus might be on the battle for home ground advantage in the Absa Currie Cup this weekend, the attention will also be shifted to Bloemfontein on Saturday where the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs hosts the Xerox Lions at 17h05.
The hosts are currently in fourth position on the log with 37 points, only two points clear of their Johannesburg opponents who are in fifth place on 35.
This game at Vodacom Park has been billed as a “must win” game for either side if they are to remain in the running for the Absa Currie Cup semi-finals.
The Xerox Lions and the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs according to recent form are expected to secure victories in their final league games of the competition next Friday when they play the Barloworld Toyota Pumas and the Platinum Leopards respectively.
This is why Saturday’s game at Vodacom Park could determine whether the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs or the Xerox Lions will still have their semi-final aspirations in their own hands.
The GWK Griquas could mathematically still qualify for the semi-finals but will still have to hope that other results go their way in order to finish the season in the top four. The Kimberley side is in Witbank for their clash against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas on Saturday at 15h00 and will have to achieve maximum points from this fixture to keep their faint chances alive.
The Barloworld Toyota Pumas (7th) and the Platinum Leopards (8th) will compete in next month’s Absa Currie Cup promotion/relegation games.
Absa Currie Cup semi-final contenders – remaining fixtures:
The Sharks: Platinum Leopards (home), Vodacom Western Province (away)
Vodacom Western Province: Vodacom Blue Bulls (away), The Sharks (home)
Vodacom Blue Bulls: Vodacom Western Province (home), GWK Griquas (away)
Vodacom Free State Cheetahs: Xerox Lions (home), Platinum Leopards (away)
Xerox Lions: Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (away), Barloworld Toyota Pumas (home)
GWK Griquas: Barloworld Toyota Pumas (away), Vodacom Blue Bulls (home)
Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Previews – Week 13:
Vodacom Blue Bulls v Vodacom WP
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday 2 October 2010. Kickoff: 15h00
Referee: Craig Joubert (SARRA)
Assistant Referees: M Mdashe (AR1), J Greeff (AR2)
TMO: JC Fortuin
Head to Head – Vodacom Blue Bulls v Vodacom Western Province (since 2005):
| P: 12 W: 8 L: 4 PF: 321 PA: 231 | ||||
| 27/08/2005 | Blue Bulls 18 | WP 10 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
| 17/09/2005 | Blue Bulls 39 | WP 3 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| 08/07/2006 | Blue Bulls 10 | WP 15 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| 01/09/2006 | Blue Bulls 12 | WP 23 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
| 07/10/2006 | Blue Bulls 45 | WP 30 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Semi-final |
| 21/07/2007 | Blue Bulls 26 | WP 17 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
| 15/09/2007 | Blue Bulls 35 | WP 10 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| 28/06/2008 | Blue Bulls 17 | WP 26 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
| 29/08/2008 | Blue Bulls 37 | WP 6 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| 18/07/2009 | Blue Bulls 30 | WP 22 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
| 05/09/2009 | Blue Bulls 19 | WP 25 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
| 17/10/2009 | Blue Bulls 21 | WP 19 | Newlands, Cape Town | Semi-final |
| 14/08/2010 | Blue Bulls 12 | WP 15 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
Vodacom Blue Bulls’ recent form at home:
- The defending champions have lost only three Absa Currie Cup Premier Division games in the last two seasons at Loftus Versfeld.
- The Vodacom Blue Bulls conceded a 25-23 defeat to the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs in week three of this season’s competition, suffered a 29-23 loss to The Sharks in Pretoria last year and also went down 30-27 to the Xerox Lions in 2008.
- The hosts though have secured victories over the Xerox Lions (24-21), The Sharks (40-34), GWK Griquas (39-38), Platinum Leopards (43-28) and the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (38-15) at Loftus Versfeld this year.
Vodacom Western Province’s recent form on the road:
- The Cape side secured four victories on the road during this season’s competition against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (62-10), GWK Griquas (50-3), Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (25-11) and against the Platinum Leopards (42-23).
- The visitors conceded two defeats on the road against The Sharks (27-16) in Durban and the Xerox Lions (46-28) in Johannesburg.
- Vodacom WP achieved three away victories – against the Boland Kavaliers, Platinum Leopards and The Sharks in last year’s Absa Currie Cup.
Additional match information:
- Vodacom WP flyhalf Willem de Waal is currently the second leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition – 161. De Waal has accumulated 1374 points in his Absa Currie Cup career – 259 points for the Platinum Leopards, 811 for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs and 304 for WP since joining them in 2008.
- Vodacom Blue Bulls flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter is currently the third leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition – 153.
- De Waal has twice scored 212 points in a season, back in 2006 and 2007 for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs.
- Prop Jaco Engels has played a combined total of 95 Absa Currie Cup games for the Vodacom Blue Bulls, Boland Cavaliers and the Platinum Leopards.
- Vodacom Western Province winger Gio Aplon, who made his Springbok debut this year, represented the SA Sevens from 2007 to 2009. He is currently the fourth leading try-scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup with six tries.
- Vodacom Blue Bulls loose forward CJ Stander captained the SA U20s during this year’s IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina and was a member of the Baby Boks’ squad of 2009 in Japan. He also captained the SA Schools team in 2008.
- Vodacom WP scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage represented the SA Under-20s during the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship in Wales.
- The Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker Deon Stegmann (2004) and centre Stefan Watermeyer (2005, 2006) both represented the SA Schools.
- Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter captained the SA Schools team in 2005.
- No 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze captained the Vodacom Blue Bulls during their successful 2010 Vodacom Cup campaign.
- Utility loose-forward Derick Kuün (Vodacom Blue Bulls) represented the SA Schools in 2002 and the SA Sevens in 2005.
- Vodacom Blue Bulls flyhalf Francois Brummer and winger Gerhard van den Heever both competed at the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship in Japan for the SA Under-20s. Stephan Dippenaar represented the Baby Boks at the 2008 tournament.
- Referee Craig Joubert will handle this game between the Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Vodacom Western Province at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
Vodacom Free State Cheetahs v Xerox Lions
Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein.
Saturday 2 October 2010. Kickoff: 17h05
Referee: Stuart Berry (SARRA)
Assistant Referees: L Burger (AR1), M van Zyl (AR2)
TMO: J Meuwesen
Head to Head – Vodacom Free State Cheetahs v Xerox Lions (since 2005):
| P: 12 W: 7 L: 5 PF: 342 PA: 283 | ||||
| 10/09/2005 | FS Cheetahs 20 | Lions 31 | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | |
| 01/10/2005 | FS Cheetahs 36 | Lions 37 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 08/07/2006 | FS Cheetahs 59 | Lions 5 | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | |
| 01/09/2006 | FS Cheetahs 28 | Lions 39 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 21/07/2007 | FS Cheetahs 27 | Lions 11 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 15/09/2007 | FS Cheetahs 24 | Lions 19 | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | |
| 27/10/2007 | FS Cheetahs 20 | Lions 18 | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | Final |
| 28/06/2008 | FS Cheetahs 22 | Lions 18 | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | |
| 22/08/2008 | FS Cheetahs 38 | Lions 28 | Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg | |
| 18/07/2009 | FS Cheetahs 22 | Lions 31 | Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg | |
| 05/09/2009 | FS Cheetahs 20 | Lions 16 | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | |
| 14/08/2010 | FS Cheetahs 26 | Lions 30 | Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg | |
Vodacom Free State Cheetahs’ recent form at home:
- The hosts secured four home victories against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (59-24), Vodacom Blue Bulls (20-14), GWK Griquas (33-26) and the Platinum Leopards (57-0), but have conceded two home defeats against The Sharks (25-13) and Vodacom Western Province (25-11) in this season’s competition.
- The Vodacom Free State Cheetahs suffered two home defeats during last year’s competition against the GWK Griquas and The Sharks.
Xerox Lions’ recent form on the road:
- The Xerox Lions conceded four away defeats in this season’s competition against the Vodacom Blue Bulls (24-21), The Sharks (48-19), Vodacom Western Province (32-0) and the GWK Griquas (26-20).
- The visitors though defeated the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (33-30) in Witbank and the Platinum Leopards (43-13) in Phokeng.
- The Johannesburg side achieved two away wins against the Platinum Leopards and the Boland Cavaliers in the 2009 Absa Currie Cup.
Additional match information:
- Winger Jongi Nokwe has scored 47 Absa Currie Cup tries in his career. (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs – 24, Boland Cavaliers – 23).
- The Xerox Lions hooker Edgar Marutlulle earned his SA Schools colours in 2005 competed for the SA U19s in 2006 and played for the SA Students in 2008 and 2009.
- Vodacom Free State Cheetahs flanker Hendro Scholtz could earn his 99th Absa Currie Cup cap for the Bloemfontein side on Saturday.
- Xerox Lions scrumhalf JP Joubert is the first SA player to play for seven provinces – Griffons, SWD Eagles, Boland Cavaliers, GWK Griquas, Vodacom Blue Bulls, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs and the Golden Lions.
- Vodacom Free State Cheetahs centre Robert Ebersohn captained the SA Under-20s during the 2009 IRB Junior World Championships.
- Vodacom Free State Cheetahs prop Coenie Oosthuizen competed in the 2009 IRB Junior World Championships for the Baby Boks.
- Referee Stuart Berry will handle this game between the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs and the Xerox Lions in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Sharks v Platinum Leopards
The Absa Stadium Durban
Friday 1 October 2010. Kickoff: 19h10
Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARRA)
Assistant Referees: M Kemp (AR1), R Rossouw (AR2)
TMO: Gerrie Coetzee
Head to Head – The Sharks v Platinum Leopards (since 2005):
| P: 4 W: 4 L: 0 PF: 249 PA: 101 | |||
| 19/08/2005 | Sharks 55 | Leopards 17 | Absa Stadium, Durban |
| 24/09/2005 | Sharks 65 | Leopards 43 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng |
| 07/08/2009 | Sharks 44 | Leopards 15 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng |
| 25/09/2009 | Sharks 34 | Leopards 20 | Absa Stadium, Durban |
| 13/08/2010 | Sharks 51 | Leopards 6 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng |
The Sharks’ recent form at home:
- The hosts, who have recorded six home victories over the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (30-16), GWK Griquas (48-30), Vodacom Western Province (27-16), Xerox Lions (48-19), Vodacom Blue Bulls (34-28) and the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (27-17) in this season’s competition, have conceded only two home defeats during the last two seasons in the Absa Currie Cup.
- Both defeats occurred last season, against Vodacom Western Province and the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (semi-final).
Platinum Leopards’ recent form on the road:
- The Platinum Leopards lost all seven of their Absa Currie Cup Premier Division matches during last year’s competition.
- The visitors are yet to record a victory at home or on the road in this season’s competition.
Additional match information:
- The Sharks flyhalf Patrick Lambie is currently the second leading points’ scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 157.
- The Platinum Leopards has conceded the most points in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 513; and have also conceded the most tries – 73.
- The Sharks winger Lwazi Mvovo is currently the second leading try-scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 11. He is six tries behind GWK Griquas winger Bjorn Basson.
- The Platinum Leopards scrumhalf Michael Bondesio is the third leading try-scorer in this season’s competition – six.
- The Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves made his Springbok debut in Cardiff earlier this year. He also represented the SA Schools in 2004.
- The Platinum Leopards’ Cecil Dumond is the brother of Monty Dumond currently competing in the Absa Currie Cup First Division for the EP Kings.
- The Sharks No 8 Ryan Kankowski has played in 15 Tests for the Springboks. He also represented the SA Emerging Boks in 2007.
- Referee Jaco Peyper will handle this game between The Sharks and the Platinum Leopards in Durban on Friday evening.
Barloworld Toyota Pumas v GWK Griquas
Puma Stadium, Witbank
Saturday 2 October 2010. Kickoff: 15h00
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (SARRA)
Assistant Referees: Q Immelman (AR1), S Breytenbach (AR2)
TMO: N/A
Head to Head – Barloworld Toyota Pumas v GWK Griquas (since 2005):
| P: 4 W: 0 L: 4 PF: 62 PA: 146 | |||
| 08/07/2005 | Pumas 09 | Griquas 26 | Puma Stadium, Witbank |
| 01/07/2006 | Pumas 26 | Griquas 60 | Absa Park, Kimberley |
| 25/08/2006 | Pumas 27 | Griquas 21 | Puma Stadium, Witbank |
| 13/08/2010 | Pumas 25 | Griquas 58 | GWK Park, Kimberley |
Barloworld Toyota Pumas’ recent form at home:
- The Barloworld Toyota Pumas defeated the Vodacom Blue Bulls (22-21) at the first Absa Currie Cup game played at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit in week eight, but then suffered a 62-10 defeat at the same venue against Vodacom WP in week 11. They secured a 37-32 win over the Platinum Leopards 37-32 in week two of this season’s Absa Currie Cup at the Pumas Stadium.
- The Barloworld Toyota Pumas went down to The Sharks (30-14) in week 10, Xerox Lions (33-30) during week seven and conceded a 45-30 loss to the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs in week five of this year’s competition.
- The hosts were undefeated at home during last year’s Absa Currie Cup First Division competition.
GWK Griquas’ recent form on the road:
- The Kimberley side conceded defeats on the road against Vodacom WP (48-32) in Cape Town, the Vodacom Blue Bulls (39-38) in Pretoria, the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (33-26) in Bloemfontein and against The Sharks (48-30) in Durban.
- The GWK Griquas however defeated the Platinum Leopards (41-27) in Potchefstroom during week four’s action of this season’s Absa Currie Cup.
- During the 2009 competition, they achieved victories on the road against the Boland Cavaliers, Platinum Leopards, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs and the Xerox Lions.
Additional match information:
- GWK Griquas winger Bjorn Basson is the leading try-scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup with 17 tries and is eight tries clear of the second-placed The Sharks winger Lwazi Mvovo.
- Basson is two tries away of the Absa Currie Cup try-scoring record of 19 held by former Western Province winger Carel du Plessis (1989) and Platinum Leopards’ Colin Lloyd (2006).
- The Barloworld Toyota Pumas winger Allister Kettledas scored 18 tries during the 2009 Absa Currie Cup First Division.
- GWK Griquas flyhalf Naas Olivier is currently the fourth leading points’ scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 150.
- The Barloworld Toyota Pumas’ Hannes Franklin and Jacques Coetzee represented the Auto & General Lions during the 2010 Vodacom Super 14.
- Barloworld Toyota Pumas utility back Shaun Venter represented the SA Sevens during the 2009 IRB Sevens World Series.
- Referee Jonathan Kaplan will handle this game between the Barloworld Toyota Pumas and the GWK Griquas in Witbank.
Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Log:
| P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | B | Pts | |
| The Sharks | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 408 | 261 | 147 | 11 | 47 |
| Vodacom Western Province | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 455 | 223 | 232 | 7 | 43 |
| Vodacom Blue Bulls | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 353 | 306 | 47 | 10 | 38 |
| Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 367 | 279 | 88 | 5 | 37 |
| Xerox Lions | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 337 | 330 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| GWK Griquas | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 380 | 417 | -37 | 11 | 31 |
| Barloworld Toyota Pumas | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 264 | 485 | -221 | 5 | 17 |
| Platinum Leopards | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 250 | 513 | -263 | 5 | 5 |
Absa Currie Cup Premier Division – Leading points’ scorers:
| T | C | P | D | Pts | ||
| Willem de Waal | Vodacom Western Province | 0 | 28 | 35 | 0 | 161 |
| Patrick Lambie | The Sharks | 3 | 26 | 30 | 0 | 157 |
| Jacques-Louis Potgieter | Vodacom Blue Bulls | 1 | 26 | 32 | 0 | 153 |
| Naas Olivier | GWK Griquas | 2 | 31 | 25 | 1 | 150 |
| Louis Strydom | Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | 0 | 23 | 26 | 0 | 124 |
| Elton Jantjies | Xerox Lions | 2 | 19 | 23 | 0 | 117 |
| Elgar Watts | Barloworld Toyota Pumas | 8 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 86 |
| Bjorn Basson | GWK Griquas | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 |
| Clayton Durand | Platinum Leopards | 0 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 69 |
| Lwazi Mvovo | The Sharks | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
Absa Currie Cup Premier Division – Leading try-scorers:
| Bjorn Basson | GWK Griquas | 17 |
| Lwazi Mvovo | The Sharks | 11 |
| Michael Bondesio | Platinum Leopards | 6 |
| Gio Aplon | Vodacom Western Province | 6 |
| JJ Engelbrecht | Vodacom Western Province | 6 |
| Pieter Louw | Vodacom Western Province | 5 |
| Keegan Daniel | The Sharks | 5 |
| Dumisani Matyeshana | Platinum Leopards | 5 |
| Odwa Ndungane | Sharks | 5 |
| Jongi Nokwe | Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | 5 |
| Coenie Oosthuizen | Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | 5 |
| Shaun Venter | Barloworld Toyota Pumas | 5 |
| Jano Vermaak | Xerox Lions | 5 |
| Stefan Watermeyer | Vodacom Blue Bulls | 5 |
| Jaco Taute | Xerox Lions | 5 |
Issued by SARU Communications
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