Three-way battle for second home Semi-final
The battle for Absa Currie Cup First Division Semi-final places will reach a climax on Friday when the last three league fixtures are played in Kempton Park, East London and George respectively.
In the final round-robin fixtures the Hino Valke entertain the Leopards in a 15h00 kick-off at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, and at 19h00 the SWD Eagles host the Down Touch Griffons at Outeniqua Park in George and Boland travel to East London for their encounter against the Border Bulldogs.
The Leopards are out of sight as the runaway leaders, as their nine-match unbeaten streak netted them the maximum 45 points. They are followed by the Griffons (27), Valke in third place (24), SWD (22), Boland (13) and Border (7) respectively.
The Leopards are already assured of a home Semi-final, while the Griffons, Valke and SWD have also booked their Semi-final places. However, all three of these teams still have a realistic chance of finishing second to claim the remaining home Semi-final on offer.
With the Griffons boasting a three-point lead over the third-placed Valke, a win for the Welkom team will guarantee them a second-place finish and seal a home Semi-final against the team who finishes third.
Currently, the Valke have the second-best point difference (35) and they must score a bonus-point win over the prolific Leopards to jump into second place. For that to happen, however, they must hope for a Griffons defeat against the Eagles in George.
Home ground advantage, coupled with the steady improvement they have shown over the last few weeks make Border the firm favourites against Boland, who suffered heavy defeats in their last two outings.
Despite their current log position, Border came very close to causing an upset against the Leopards in Potchefstroom last week. In fact, a last-minute penalty kick by Meel Engelbrecht allowed the Leopards to edge the Bulldogs 32-30 after a stirring comeback from the East London side.
The final round of Absa Currie Cup First Division league fixtures on Friday:
Hino Valke vs Leopards
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Kick-off: 15h00
SWD Eagles vs Down Touch Griffons
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Kick-off: 19h00
Border Bulldogs vs Boland Cavaliers
Venue: BCM Stadium, East London
Kick-off: 19h00
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