All to play for in vital Bloemfontein clash
The final round of league fixtures in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division takes place this weekend and all eyes will be on the Free State Rugby Stadium in Bloemfontein, where the Toyota Free State Cheetahs and the Cell C Sharks will battle it out for the remaining Semi-final spot.
Unbeaten log leaders, the Xerox Golden Lions, are already assured of a home Semi-final, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls and DHL Western Province are also through to the Semi-finals.
However, with only two points separating the Cheetahs and Sharks on the log standings, the two teams have everything to play for in what is effectively a Quarter-final in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon.
The Cheetahs currently have 21 points and the Sharks 19, and both teams know that a victory will book a meeting with the competition’s in-form and most prolific team this season, the Lions, in Johannesburg. The losing team, meanwhile, will crash out of the competition.
DHL WP and the Vodacom Blue Bulls also have a lot to play for. Both teams are in action on Friday and their respective matches in Cape Town and Nelspruit kick off at the same time at 18h00.
The Bulls, second on the log with 34 points, face the Steval Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium and the Pretoria side knows that a win, even without a bonus point, will be enough to guarantee them a home Semi-final in the capital. Pumas stalwart Marius Coetzer will deservedly earn his 100th cap when he takes to the field from the bench, while skipper Stefan Watermeyer will earn his 50th cap.
Western Province, in turn, face an injury-hit EP Kings side at DHL Newlands and the Capetonians will run out knowing that a bonus-point win is a must if they want to keep alive their slim hope of hosting a playoff match. However, for that to happen they must hope for a Bulls defeat in Nelspruit.
Meanwhile, the free-scoring Lions will round off their league commitments with a home clash against the bottom-of-the-log ORC Griquas in a 16h00 kick-off at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.
Interestingly, the Nel-brothers, Ruhan of ORC Griquas and Jacques of the Golden Lions, will line up opposite each other with both playing in the number 13 jersey for their respective teams. Ruhan, a Springbok Sevens international, plays outside centre for Griquas after playing on the wing against the Sharks last weekend. The brothers played together for the Lions in the Vodacom Cup, but this will be the first time they will play against each other.
A brief summary of the team news:
Toyota Free State Cheetahs – Fit-again loose forward Boom Prinsloo replaces Gerhard Olivier in the No6 jersey, with Olivier moving down to the bench in place of Ruan van Rensburg. Neill Jordaan comes in for De Wet Kruger at No8, while Armandt Koster is in for Reniel Hugo who replaces Willem Serfontein on the bench. Jacques du Toit returns at hooker, with Neil Rautenbach on the bench in place of Chase Morison. BG Uys and Teunis Nieuwoudt switch places at loosehead prop, with Uys elevated to starting line-up.
Cell C Sharks – Director of Coaching, Gary Gold, kept changes to a minimum when he confirmed his team. Among the backs, Garth April starts at fullback, with Odwa Ndungane moving to right wing. Wandile Mjekevu, who started at fullback against Griquas, is sidelined with an ankle injury. As a result, Odwa Ndundane moves from fullback to right wing.
DHL Western Province – Fullback Dillyn Leyds has recovered from a groin injury and will wear the No15 jersey, although coach john Dobson still had a number of injury concerns. Flank Chris Cloete, lock Ruan Botha and fullback Cheslin Kolbe were all not available for selection this week, while hooker Scarra Ntubeni (calf), scrumhalf Jano Vermaak (groin) and utility forward Rynhardt Elstadt (quadraceps) remain on the injured list and are also unavailable. Wing Seabelo Senatla and wing/centre Johnny Kotze are nursing slight niggles and have been rested this week. Exciting Junior Springbok and WP Under-21 player Leolin Zass gets a first start on the wing, while Justin Benn and Jaco Taute will feature off the bench. Juan de Jongh will again captain the side in the No12 jersey.
Steval Pumas – There are four changes to their side for their match against the Blue Bulls in Nelspruit on Saturday. Three of those are in the pack with hooker Francois du Toit replacing Frank Herne who shifts to the bench. Rudi Mathee receives a starting berth at the cost of Marius Coetzer, while flanker Marnus Schoeman comes in for the injured Jaco Bouwer. With fullback JW Bell out injured, Hoffmann Marnitz moves from centre to No15 with Jerome Pretorius now at centre and Bernado Botha filling the gap on wing.
Vodacom Blue Bulls – Flanker Deon Stegmann returns to the starting line-up after he was a late withdrawal from the team that beat the EP Kings at Loftus Versfeld last weekend. That prompted the call-up of Clyde Davids to the bench and Jacques du Plessis to the flank, but with Stegmann fit again, it is back to the regular starting pack for the match in Nelspruit. Du Plessis and Marvin Orie will start at lock, with RG Snyman dropping back to the bench in place of Davids.
Eastern Province Kings – Injuries to senior players Tim Whitehead and Steven Sykes will see centre Ronnie Cooke take over the captaincy. Cooke also replaces Whitehead at centre, although he will operate from the outside centre position, with JP du Plessis moving to inside centre. Furthermore, there are injury concerns over Stefan Willemse, who replaces Sykes at lock, and wing Luther Obi, but Kings coach Brent Janse van Rensburg said they were fairly confident the pair would be ready for the Friday encounter.
Toyota Free State Cheetahs – Neill Jordaan will replace De Wet Kruger at No 8, while Boom Prinsloo is fit again and comes in for Gerhard Olivier at flank. Olivier replaces Ruan van Rensburg on the bench. Armandt Koster is in for Reniel Hugo at lock while Hugo takes the place of Willem Serfontein amongst the replacements. Jacques du Toit starts at hooker with Neil Rautenbach on the bench, replacing Chase Morison. Props BG Uys and Teunis Nieuwoudt switch places with Uys in the starting line-up.
Xerox Golden Lions – Coach Johan Ackermann has opted to rest his regular stars, while the Van der Walt brothers, Jaco and Gerdus, will run out together. Jaco will don the No 10 jersey while Gerdus is at inside centre, partnering with Jacques Nel in midfield. Scrumhalf Ricky Schroeder is captain. Up front, Robbie Coetzee returns after a two week lay-off and is joined by Pieter Scholtz at tighthead. The locks are MB Lusaseni and Martin Muller, while Kwagga Smith, Fabian Booysen and Ruaan Lerm form the loose-trio. Former Springbok Sevens internationals Mark Richards and Sampie Mastriet are on the wings and Vainon Willis the fullback.
ORC Griquas – There are four changes to the backline, two switches in the forwards and various movements on the bench. Gouws Prinsloo comes back at fullback in place of Ntabeni Dukisa who is now playing left wing. Sandile Ngcobo moves from the subs bench into the No 14 jersey, replacing Danie Dames. Ruhan Nel is moved from wing to outside centre, sending Jonathan Francke to the bench. Sidney Tobias is now playing hooker, dislodging Martin Bezuidenhout. Props Danie Minnie and Steph Roberts (bench) exchange places, while Riaan Viljoen comes back onto the bench as back utility.
The final round of Absa Currie Cup league fixtures:
Friday, 9 October 2015
DHL Western Province vs Eastern Province Kings
Venue: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 18h00
TV: SS2
Steval Pumas vs Vodacom Blue Bulls
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 18h00
TV: SS1
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Toyota Free State Cheetahs vs Cell C Sharks
Venue: Free State Rugby Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 14h00
TV: SS2
Xerox Golden Lions vs ORC Griquas
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 16h00
TV: SS2
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