Rugby
Currie Cup Predictions – Semi-Finals
We’re down to the final four as the Currie Cup reaches crunch time in the semi-finals on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
New champions are guaranteed after reigning titleholders, the Sharks XV, failed to qualify for the playoffs.
In the first of Saturday’s semi-finals, the Lions will host the Boland Kavaliers at Ellis Park. From there, the spotlight shifts to Kimberley for the Central derby between Griquas and the Cheetahs.
Lions v Boland Kavaliers
Saturday, 13 September – 17:00
The clash at Ellis Park is a showdown between David and Goliath, with the visiting Cavaliers looking to continue their giant-killing ways.
Back in the Premier Division for the first time since 2016, Boland have been nothing short of brilliant, punching above their weight with aplomb and pulling off upsets over the Cheetahs and the Lions themselves.
They also pipped the Pumas in Nelspruit, and had it not been for a match-winning penalty goal by Siya Masuku in Pietermaritzburg, they would’ve hosted a semi-final in Wellington. Instead, they have a mountain to climb in Johannesburg, where the Lions are unbeaten this season.
After going 3-2 in their first five fixtures, the Lions called on their United Rugby Championship stars to do a smash-and-grab in their last two league games. The loaded Pride produced the goods, taking the full 10 log points out of their emphatic wins over the Bulls (44-5) and Griquas (37-7) to finish at the top of the table.
This is a completely different Lions team to the one that lost 29-10 to Boland in Wellington in Round Three, and with their class, power, strong set pieces, potency, and excellent defence, they should win comfortably against a Cavaliers side coming off a 40-22 defeat to Western Province and battling with their discipline to secure their second straight home final.
Prediction: Lions by 15.
Griquas v Cheetahs
Saturday, 13 September – 19:15
It’s been a few years since these teams were in the decider. Griquas last made it to the final in 2022, while the Cheetahs haven’t played in the decider since 2019. Both of them fell over the final hurdle, so they’re hungry to go all the way.
For the Cheetahs, though, it’s more than a chance to play in a final; it’s an opportunity to get payback after the Peacock Blues embarrassed them on their home turf in Round Six. Griquas blew them off the park in Bloemfontein, racing into a 21-0 lead, and triumphed 40-10 despite conceding three late yellow cards.
Before last weekend’s 30-point loss to the URC-loaded Lions, Griquas were the form team of the competition. They’d won five on the trot, proving their 49-28 opening round loss to the Pumas in Nelspruit was an off night rather than a true reflection of their quality.
The Cheetahs also responded well from their last-gasp 37-35 opening round away loss to Boland, winning four on the bounce before the thumping by Griquas. If not for Marcell Coetzee’s red card last weekend, the Free Staters would probably not have qualified for the playoffs, as it allowed them to secure the necessary bonus points in defeat (35-31) to the Bulls to advance.
In that sense, Frans Steyn’s troops are playing with house money. They’re certainly capable of beating any team on any given day, but they have a lot of ground to make up in a short amount of time to turn the tables on their neighbours. Given it’s a semi-final, it should be more tightly contested than their last meeting, but as long as they stay composed, which they should with veteran flyhalf George Whitehead steering them, Pieter Bergh’s side should book their place in the final.
Prediction: Griquas by 8.