Currie Cup Predictions – Round 7

Five teams are in the running for the four semi-final spots, while home ground advantage in the playoffs is also up for grabs.

Griquas top the table going into the pivotal weekend on 25 points, with the Boland Kavaliers sitting second on 23. The third-placed Lions and fourth-placed Cheetahs are both on 21, with the Pumas one point adrift in fifth place on 20.

The Bulls (10), Sharks XV (10), and winless Western Province (1) are out of the hunt in sixth, seventh, and eighth. However, they will influence who qualifies and where.

Add the major twist that the big unions are expected to load up on United Rugby Championship stars, and the league phase should reach a fascinating climax.

The action will get underway in Durban, where the Sharks XV will play host to the Pumas on Friday, before Saturday’s triple header. First up is the Western Cape derby between Western Province and the Kavaliers, followed by the Lions taking on Griquas at Ellis Park and the Bulls battling the Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld.

Sharks XV v Pumas

Friday, 5 September – 19:00

The young Sharks XV side continued their steady improvement by stunning Boland 33-31 last weekend and will look to make it three wins in a row to wrap up their campaign.

JP Pietersen’s charges have come a long way since their 64-0 drubbing by the Bulls in Round Two, shoring up their set pieces, getting their driving maul going, managing good interplay between forwards and backs, and fronting up in defence.

That said, the Pumas have been the stronger side all season and have more at stake as they fight for a playoff spot. After failing to pitch for the first 37 minutes against Western Province last weekend, they would’ve been a tad nervous trailing 10-7 at halftime, but dominated after the break to run out 39-13 winners.

Given the quality of UFC players the Sharks have selected, they should get the job done.

Prediction: Sharks by 5.

Western Province v Boland Kavaliers

Saturday, 6 September – 14:45

The heat is on in the much-anticipated Western Cape derby.

Winless Western Province’s season has been so abysmal that Stormers director of rugby John Dobson has apologised to their fans. Things looked good early on last weekend as the youthful outfit led 10-0 against the Pumas.

At the same time, though, they didn’t maximise their territorial dominance and were blown away in the second stanza. In what’s poor timing for Boland, Province have now called on their URC stars to ensure they don’t finish winless.   

Boland will be kicking themselves for slipping up against the Sharks XV last weekend. Trailing 20-7, they finally found their rhythm in the second half and looked to have completed another epic comeback.

Godlen Masimla, however, inexplicably went for a try instead of kicking the ball out for a 31-30 win, and it ended up costing them the game and top spot on the log.

Unfortunately for them, it looks as though they’ll drop out of the top two with Province stacking the deck against them.

Prediction: Western Province by 10.

Lions v Griquas

Saturday, 6 September – 17:00

It’s high-stakes rugby at Ellis Park, where the game of the weekend will have a major bearing on who finishes the league phase in pole position.

Ivan van Rooyen took over the coaching reins from Mziwakhe Nkosi last weekend and brought several URC big hitters with him for the Jukskei derby. While clearly rusty, they were all business, taking penalty goals and going route one to build a 20-5 halftime lead. In complete control, they let loose from there to batter the Bulls 44-5.

It’s clear that the Johannesburg side are doubling down to claim the silverware after losing out in heart-breaking fashion to the Sharks last season and could top the table when the dust settles if things fall in their favour.

Log-leading Griquas are the form team of the competition, having won five on the trot. They crushed the Cheetahs last weekend, dominating at scrum time, running immaculate lines and displaying some real razzle dazzle in the 40-10 win. The three late yellow cards they conceded will be a concern for Pieter Bergh, but he and his troops will back themselves.

As much as the Peacock Blues have unmatched cohesion and the URC version of the Lions are only set to play together for the second time this campaign, the quality of the Pride should see them prevail at home. 

Prediction: Lions by 7.

Bulls v Cheetahs

Saturday, 6 September – 19:05

With Johann Ackermann taking the reins from Phiwe Nomlomo for the Bulls’ final match of the campaign, you could say Saturday will be the soft launch of the Ackermann era, but nothing the Bulls do is soft.

Ackermann is expected to unleash his top stars and use the game as preparation for the upcoming URC season, a page turner that spells major trouble for the Cheetahs.

The Free Staters let themselves down in a big way last weekend, looking a shell of themselves in their 30-point loss to Griquas, which saw them drop from first to fourth place.

And, if Ackermann picks his strongest team as expected, the Cheetahs will likely lose big again.

Prediction: Bulls by 19.