ABSA Currie Cup Preview – Week 8
- Photo by Rugby15
The second round of the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division kicks off on Friday in Nelspruit, with the highlight of the weekend Saturday’s match in Pretoria between the Vodacom Blue Bulls and The Sharks.
It’s been a tough season for the Blue Bulls, but they’ve won their last three games and will be looking to continue that trend against the defending champions.
On Friday evening, the Ford Pumas will be looking for revenge when they host the table-topping MTN Golden Lions, after their close defeat in the opening round in Johannesburg.
The other games this weekend are between GWK Griquas and DHL Western Province in Kimberley, and the Platinum Leopards and the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Potchefstroom.
The EP Kings and Regent Boland Cavaliers will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Absa Currie Cup First Division table against the Border Bulldogs and Tasol Solar Griffons this weekend.
Ford Pumas vs MTN Golden Lions
The MTN Golden Lions needed a late try to beat the Ford Pumas in the opening Absa Currie Cup fixture this season and John Mitchell’s men will travel to the Mbombela Stadium knowing they can’t underestimate the team from Mpumalanga.
A few weeks ago, the Vodacom Blue Bulls had to work very hard to beat the Pumas in Nelspruit, while GWK Griquas also found the going tough in the Mbombela Stadium in July.
Jimmy Stonehouse, coach of the Ford Pumas, said it’s good to be welcoming back experienced players like their flank and captain, Corné Steenkamp, prop Dawie Steyn and scrumhalf Shaun Venter, who have all been out injured.
“We’ve been struggling with injuries, but these players are basically all fit again and it’s great to have them back, as they form an experienced core for us. But even with them back, it won’t be easy,” said Stonehouse.
“The Golden Lions top the log and even though they’ve had their fair share of luck, but have been on the winning side in six of their matches, which brings confidence. That will only increase the pressure on us.”
As Stonehouse points out, the Ford Pumas’ season turned around in the second round in 2010, when they beat the Blue Bulls and Golden Lions, and they will be hoping for more of the same this season.
“If we can limit our mistakes and play with confidence, we can do it again. We only just lost to the Lions in the first round and with the injured players back, we’ll be ready for them in Nelspruit this weekend,” said Stonehouse.
Ford Pumas vs MTN Golden Lions
Date: Friday, 2 September
Kick-off: 19:10
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Referee: Jason Jaftha
Last three meetings in Absa Currie Cup:
- · 20 August 2010: MTN Golden Lions won 33-30 in Witbank
- · 8 October 2010: Ford Pumas won 34-27 in Johannesburg
- · 15 July 2011: MTN Golden Lions won 31-27 in Johannesburg
GWK Griquas vs DHL Western Province
Kimberley has proven to be a difficult destination in the Absa Currie Cup this year, with GWK Griquas winning three out of their four matches thus far at GWK Park, including victories over the Sharks and the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
And even though DHL Western Province crushed Griquas in the corresponding fixture last year, they will still be mindful of the danger posed by the team from the Northern Cape.
DHL WP coach Allister Coetzee has urged his players to protect the ball better when they have possession.
“It is going to be tough against Griquas. Last year’s trip to Kimberley was probably the turning point in our season, but we know it is not going to be easy. They will be confident after a good display last week,” said Coetzee.
“We know we will have to respect the ball this week. They are excellent at counter attacking and have a lot of players who can punish you. It will be vital to be accurate, to play the game in the correct areas and to capitalise when we are in those areas.
“Last week (against the Pumas) the bounce of the ball was not there for us, but no excuses we had plenty of chances that we did not take. That is what we are looking to change against Griquas – we need to be more clinical when we create opportunities.”
GWK Griquas vs DHL Western Province
Date: Saturday, 3 September
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: GWK Park, Kimberley
Referee: Marius Jonker
Last three meetings in Absa Currie Cup:
- · 7 August 2010: DHL WP won 50-3 in Kimberley
- · 24 September 2010: DHL WP won 48-32 in Cape Town
- · 16 July 2011: Draw 26-26 in Cape Town
Platinum Leopards vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs
The Platinum Leopards want to improve in the second round of the Absa Currie Cup after winning just one of their games out of the first seven. They take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs at Profert Olën Park in Potchefstroom on Saturday afternoon.
Leopards coach Leon Boshoff said a big aim for his team in the coming weeks will be possession and making sure they protect the ball when they have it. This will be paramount against a Free State side that is very dangerous from turn overs.
Last week against the Vodacom Blue Bulls, the Leopards scored three tries in the second half – the last one coming after numerous phases where they did not lose the ball.
“Looking back at the first round, it’s clear we’ve not used our scoring opportunities, mainly because we have not protected the ball well enough when it was in our possession. When we keep the ball on attack, we’ve scored 95% of the time, but we only do that 20% of the time,” said Boshoff.
“Considering that we’re defending most of the time, I can’t really find too much fault with our defence. Now we need to get more possession and look after it better. It won’t be easy against the Free State Cheetahs – they lost last week, but have shown what they can do in their match against the Pumas, where they scored 80 points.”
Considering that the Cheetahs scored 78 points against the Leopards in Phokeng last year and 71 in Potch in 2009, it’s clear the team from North West have a massive task at hand.
Platinum Leopards vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 3 September
Kick-off: 16:00
Venue: Profert Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Stuart Berry
Last three meetings in Absa Currie Cup:
20 August 2010: Toyota FS Cheetahs won 57-0 in Bloemfontein
8 October 2010: Toyota FS Cheetahs won 78-7 in Rustenburg
16 July 2011: Toyota FS Cheetahs won 40-12 in Bloemfontein
Vodacom Blue Bulls vs The Sharks
The Vodacom Blue Bulls are still set on reaching the Absa Currie Cup semi-finals, even though they are in sixth place at the half-way mark of the competition.
The Sharks, who slipped down to third last weekend, travel to Pretoria this weekend for a match at Loftus Versfeld that could set the tone for the home team in the second round.
Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar realises his team have not achieved anything yet and while they welcome back experienced players in Bjorn Basson, Dewald Potgieter and Juandré Kruger this weekend, the task at hand is still a huge one against the defending champions.
“We might have won three in a row now, but it means nothing until we have moved into the play-off positions,” said Pienaar.
“Our aim remains to win the Absa Currie Cup this year and to put ourselves in that position we will have to keep on winning and beat the Sharks on the weekend.
“It is great for a coach to be able to recall players like Dewald, Bjorn and Juandré, but it is still no guarantee for success. We will still need to bring our absolute A-game if we want to beat a very good side.
Sharks coach John Plumtree was disappointed after his team’s defeat to the MTN Golden Lions last week, where Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies kicked seven penalty goals and a conversion to steer the Gauteng side to a convincing victory.
“Discipline is a real problem for us at the moment and we have to make sure we tidy it up, that’s been one of the messages for the boys this week,” said Plumtree,
Vodacom Blue Bulls vs The Sharks
Date: Saturday, 3 September
Kick-off: 17:00
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Last four meetings in Absa Currie Cup:
- · 17 July 2010: The Sharks won34-28 in Durban
- · 4 September 2010: Vodacom Blue Bulls won 40-34 in Pretoria
- · 16 October 2010: The Sharks won 16-12 in Durban (Absa Currie Cup semi-final)
- · 16 July 2011: The Sharks won 35-16 in Durban
Absa Currie Cup First Division
The way things have been going in the Absa Currie Cup First Division lately, the EP Kings and Regent Boland Cavaliers will be regarded as favourites when they host the Border Bulldogs and Tasol Solar Griffons respectively this weekend.
In Port Elizabeth, the EP Kings will be looking to extend their winning streak against neighbours the Border Bulldogs that stretches back to 1 August 2008 (six games), when the Bulldogs won 28-16 in East London.
The Kings top the First Division log and if they can repeat their 62-15 victory from earlier this season in East London, it could be a long evening for the Bulldogs in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday.
The Regent Boland Cavaliers will be backing Border as they prepare for their clash against the Tasol Solar Griffons at Boland Park in Wellington on Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers trail the Kings by two points on the log.
This weekend’s games in the Absa Currie Cup First Division
EP Kings vs Border Bulldogs
Date: Friday, 2 September
Kick-off: 19:00
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Last three meetings in Absa Currie Cup First Division:
- · 16 July 2010: EP Kings won 42-28 in East London
- · 27 August 2010: EP Kings won 49-6 in Port Elizabeth
- · 22 July 2011: EP Kings won 62-15 in East London
Regent Boland Cavaliers vs Tasol Solar Griffons
Date: Saturday, 3 September
Kick-off: 16:00
Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington
Referee: Joey Salmans
Last three meetings in Absa Currie Cup First Division:
- · 20 August 2010: Griffons won 52-13 in Welkom
- · 1 October 2010: Boland won 40-25 in Wellington
- · 22 July 2011: Boland won 46-7 in Welkom
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