Previews: From Planet Rugby
Griquas v Blue Bulls
GWK Park, Kimberley
Pote Human's men are on a high after impressing in their recent
wins over the Golden Lions and Sharks in successive matches. This after
their campaign got off to a dismal start with them losing their opening
four fixtures.
That seems a distant memory for the home side's fans, who will
genuinely feel that they can get add the Blue Bulls' scalp to their
collection.
The hosts will rely heavily on their full-back Willie le Roux
whose ability to turn defensive situations into attacking ones makes him
one of the tournament's best players.
Le Roux will have extra motivation to do well in this match as he
was yellow carded in the previous encounter between these sides which
the Bulls won 35-20 in Pretoria earlier this year.
The visitors are in unfamiliar territory as the team propping up
the table and their supporters expect them to get back to their winning
ways after recent losses to the Lions and Western Province.
Coach Pine Pienaar must be feeling the heat and will be determined to turn things around.
The performance of the Bulls forwards could be the catalyst for
them to return to victory trail. So much of their game-plan relies on
their pack dominating their opposition and that is where they came short
in their most recent defeats.
Prediction:The hosts will be brimming with confidence and don't be surprised if they claim their third win on the trot. Griquas to win by four points!
The teams:
Griquas: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Jean
Stemmet, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9
Marnus Hugo, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Wesley Wilkins (c), 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5
Martin Muller, 4 Rynhardt Landman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Matt Dobson, 1
Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Ivann
Espag, 18 Frikkie Spies, 19 Justin Downey, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21
Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Richard Lawson.
Blue Bulls: 15 Jürgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Ulrich
Beyers, 12 Francois Venter, 11 JJ Engelbrecht, 10 Louis Fouchè, 9 Rudy
Paige, 8 Dewald Potgieter (c), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Warwick Tecklenburg, 5
Grant Hattingh, 4 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1
Dawie Steyn.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Cornell Hess, 19 Jean Cook, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Lionel Cronjè, 22 Jan Serfontein.
Kick-off:15:00 (14:00 BST, 13:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Pete says never discount Bulls even though all their 1st teamers are playing for Boks.
Griquas have done well in last 2 weeks beating Sharks at home and Lions away. Bulls on the other hand have lost their last 2. Lions at home and slaughtered by Western Province away.
I expect Bulls to get back on winning track by 10.
Free State Cheetahs v Golden Lions
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
After putting the Blue Bulls to the sword the Golden Lions will
be determined to put in a repeat performance against the Cheetahs, who
lost narrowly at home to Western Province last week.
But the defending champions' coach Johan Ackermann has warned his
troops to forget about their win over the Bulls and focus on this
weekend's match.
"The players know what happened on Saturday is gone and over," he said.
"The Cheetahs are a side we've got a lot of respect for - they are a well balanced side with a lot of good players."
The Lions have struggled against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in
recent seasons. They have lost their last seven Currie Cup matches
matches at the Free State Stadium with their last win being a 31-20
triumph way back in 2005.
The Cheetahs welcomed back Springbok flank Heinrich Brussouw
against WP last week and his ball-winning ability is something which his
side will rely heavily on.
Brussouw's dominance at the breakdowns combined with dangerous
backs like captain and outside centre Robert Ebersohn, scrum-half Sarel
Pretorius and young speedster Raymond Rhule make the home side a
dangerous unit, especially when they get their counter-attacking game
going.
Prediction:Both sides enjoy playing expansively so don't
be surprised if this is another high-scoring game. The Cheetahs are
always up to challenge when at home though and should just sneak in. Cheetahs by three points.
The teams:
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Nico
Scheepers, 13 Robert Ebersohn (c), 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Raymond Rhule,
10 Tewis de Bruyn, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Hendro Scholtz, 7 Lappies
Labuschagne, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Francois
Uys, 3 Marcell van der Merwe, 2 Hercu Liebenberg, 1 Schalk van der
Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Elandre Huggett, 17 Ross Geldenhuys,
18 Carl Wegner, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Sias Ebersohn, 21 Philip
Snyman, 22 Rayno Benjamin.
Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon Helberg, 13
Lionel Mapoe, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Ruan Combrinck, 10 Elton Jantjies,
9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Willie Britz, 6 Cobus
Grobbelaar, 5 Franco Van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie
Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (c).
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Etienne Oosthuizen, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 Butch James, 22 Jaco Taute.
Kick-off:17:05 (16:05 BST, 15:05 GMT)
Referee: Sindile Mayende
Petes pick
Another toughie.
Lions were playing really good rugby until three weeks ago when they lost to Griquas at home and Sharks away. Last week they beat Bulls away from home which was good for morale.
Lions for me based on last weeks performance.
cheetahs always find a way to just lose a game. They play good expansive rugby but sometimes their forwards lack resolve.
Lions by 5
Sharks v Western Province
Kings Park Stadium, Bloemfontein
Although this is a top-of-the-table clash Sharks coach John
Plumtree knows that a defeat could see his team dropping out of the
play-off places.
"There's really not much in this competition," Plumtree admitted.
"Everyone has lost two or three games and it's been difficult to predict results.
"The Lions lost to us, but then went and beat the Bulls, but the Bulls beat us. There's not much between all the teams really.
"There are three teams on top and so it's still anyone's game.
You don't know who is going to make the play-offs, so it's almost like
Super Rugby, which makes it interesting."
Plumtree believes Allister Coetzee's charges have become a better team since they last played them.
"I think they have progressed a lot since that first round,
everyone has gone better since then but it's still tricky to pick the
winners and the losers in this competition," he said.
"Province have their strengths, they have a big driving line-out
and base much of their play around the drive. We probably base a lot of
our play around our phase play."
After their recent resurgence WP will fancy their chances of taking the points in this clash.
Discarded Springbok utility back Gio Aplon is the experienced
head in a young back-line which includes up-and-coming prospects like
lively scrum-half Nic Groom and exciting centres Marcel Brache and JP du
Plessis.
The men from the Cape did well to claim a 29-22 win, against the
odds, in Bloemfontein last week. That away win was a boost for WP's
youngsters who will now tackle their assignment in Durban with less
trepidation.
Prediction: Western Province have been the form team in
the tournament of late and although they are away from home, will fancy
their chances of causing an upset against the Sharks. The hosts,
however, seldom put in poor performances in successive weeks. It will be
close but Sharks to win by two points!
The teams:
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Tim
Whitehead, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Riaan Viljoen, 9 Cobus
Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (c), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton
Bresler, 4 Jandre Marais, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Pieter Dixon, 1 Dale
Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Julian
Redelinghuys, 18 Peet Marais, 19 Brynard Stander, 20 Charl McLeod, 21
Marius Joubert, 22 S'bura Sithole.
Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever,
13 JP du Plessis, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Damian de Allende, 10 Demetri
Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Jebb Sinclair, 7 Tyrone Holmes, 6 Deon Fourie
(c), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Don Armand, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Siyabonga
Ntubeni, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Steven Kitshoff, 17
Tom Botha, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Helmut Lehmann, 20 Louis
Schreuder, 21 Kurt Coleman, 22 Joe Pietersen.
Kick-off:19:10 (18:10 BST, 17:10 GMT)
Petes Pick
A toughie but I'll agree with this writer.
Sharks by 2. For those of you who play Superbru this means WP can win by 3 and one still collects 1/2 a point for coming within 3 pts.
The second half of the Currie Cup season gets underway with very
little separating the six teams - just seven points between first and
last.
The top-of-the table Western Province travel to Durban to face the
third-placed Sharks, with only points difference separating them.
The Lions, second on the standings, but also on 15 points like WP and
the Sharks, travel to Bloemfontein where they face the fourth-placed
Free State Cheetahs - the latter just four points off the pace.
The other match will see the fifth-placed Griquas (10 points) host the bottom-placed Blue Bulls (eight points) in Kimberley.
Yes, it is that close at the halfway stage - literally all to play for.
Blue Bulls flyhalf Louis Fouché tops the points scoring after, with 74
points made up of seven conversions, 19 penalties and a drop goal.
Behind Fouché in second place is WP flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis on 59,
with Sharks centre Meyer Bosman on 56.
Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane and Cheetahs wing Raymond Rhule continue to
lead the try-scoring stakes with four touchdowns apiece, with Blue Bulls
loose forward CJ Stander, Griquas wing Rocco Jansen and Free State
Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius on three each.
Jan de Koning looks at all the Round Six action!
Saturday, September 15
Griquas v Blue Bulls
(GWK Park, Kimberley - 15.00; 13.00 GMT)
The first match of the weekend is the basement battle in which hosts
Griquas will look to build on their back-to-back wins over the Lions and
Sharks.
Bulls coach Pine Pienaar admitted he has been working harder on the
mental aspects of his team's game than their physical attributes.
"When you go to Kimberley, all you hear the whole week is how tough it
will be and how hard the surface is," Pienaar told this website.
"I can promise you, the pitch we train on, our B-Filed, is just as
hard. If you keep telling yourself it is tough there [in Kimberley] and
suddenly you start doubting what you must do."
He felt that enough teams have gone to Kimberley in the past and done well there.
"Yes, Griquas do have an outstanding team this year and they are coming
off two great victories [over the Lions away and Sharks at home] - the
growth they have shown from our first-round win over them till now is
enormous.
"They have a great group of players - Marnus Schoeman is outstanding on the ground and their backs are ken to run the ball.
"However, we have to be prepared to scrap it out there - if you keep
telling yourself it is going to be tough, you may just end up believing
that."
Griquas coach Pote Human was not shy with the plaudits for the
opposition either, as both outfits attempted to claim the underdog tag.
He felt that the Bulls' position on the standings does not reflect their true capabilities.
Coming off those back-to-back wins will give Griquas plenty of self-belief, but Human felt there is still plenty of work to do.
"This week the Bulls arrive [in Kimberley] and as everybody know, there
is nothing more dangerous than a wounded Bull," he said of the
bottom-placed team from Pretoria, adding: We know they will throw
everything at us."
Despite Pienaar's best attempt to downplay the 'home-field factor', Human felt playing in Kimberley is an advantage.
Human spoke of the need for his team to improve their discipline.
"We still conceded too many penalties at the breakdown," he said, adding: "That is one aspect we have worked on this week.
"Our kicking game is improving, but we know against the Bulls you need a
good kicking game. They are great exponents of that [kicking game], so
we will have to be up for that ... both in terms of how we execute [the
kicks] and receive [their kicks]."
Results this year:
For Griquas:
Griquas 22-15 Sharks
Golden Lions 32-42 Griquas
Griquas 16-29 Free State Cheetahs
Griquas 20-25 Western Province
Blue Bulls 35-20 Griquas
For the Blue Bulls:
Blue Bulls 23-32 Golden Lions
Western Province 42-6 Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls 42-31 Sharks
Free State Cheetahs 32-18 Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls 35-20 Griquas
Prediction: There is no doubting the home ground
factor, but the Blue Bulls are overdue a good performance. Griquas are
on a high, but they could be vulnerable against a structured team that
remain disciplined on defence. The Bulls have the tools and may well sneak a win - but by less than 10 points.
Teams:
Griquas: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Jean
Stemmet, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9
Marnus Hugo, 8 Leon Karemaker, 7 Wesley Wilkins (captain), 6 Marnus
Schoeman, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Rynhardt Landman, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2
Matt Dobson, 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Ivann Espag, 18
Frikkie Spies, 19 Justin Downey, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Marnitz Boshoff,
22 Richard Lawson.
Blue Bulls: 15 Jürgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13
Ulrich Beyers, 12 Francois Venter, 11 JJ Engelbrecht, 10 Louis Fouché, 9
Rudi Paige, 8 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Warwick
Tecklenburg, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3 Werner Kruger, 2
Willie Wepener, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Cornell Hess, 19 Jean Cook, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Lionel Cronjé, 22 Jan Serfontein.
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistants: Lesego Legoete, Francois de Bruin
TMO: JC Fortuin
Free State Cheetahs v Golden Lions
(Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein - 17.05; 15.05 GMT)
It has a hint of desperation to it, but the decision to name scrumhalf
Tewis de Bruyn at flyhalf suggests that Coach Naka Drotské's love-hate
relationship with Sias Ebersohn is at the heart of the team's
inconsistency.
The Cheetahs will look to bounce back from their 22-29 home defeat to
WP last week when they welcome the very dangerous Lions in what could be
the weekend's most entertaining affair - a high-scoring match in which
defence may not always be at a premium.
Since the injury of Johan Goosen in the Super Rugby season the
Cheetahs' attack has spluttered along, only occasionally reaching its
true potential.
De Bruyn has been charged with the task of getting the Cheetahs the
momentum that will not only get them back on the winning track, but also
help them regain that effective ball-in-hand game that made them such a
joy to watch.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann, who this week spoke of the need for his
team to improve their discipline and defence, said his side will
continue with their all-out attacking game.
"They [the Cheetahs] play some great rugby," he said of his team's trip
to Bloemfontein, adding that they remain a force on attack.
"Over many years they have proven just how dangerous they are and can beat any team.
"We are expecting an enormous onslaught from them - it should be an exciting game."
The fact that both teams play great ball-in-hand rugby, probably the
two most exciting teams in the competition, means this could be a real
thrill-a-minute affair.
Ackermann said the Lions will not revert to a defence-orientated or conservative game.
"We will stay with what we do best, but there is no doubt that defence
will be vital on Saturday as we are playing against a team that enjoys
an expansive game.
"However, it is important that we don't stray away from our game - if
we look after the ball we'll be able to put them under pressure.
"From a neutral's point of view this could be one of the best games of the season."
Ackermann admitted that his team had worked hard on their discipline,
as there were still a few unnecessary penalties in last week's win over
the Bulls.
"We are far form perfect and there is plenty to work on," the coach
told this website, adding: "We need to put teams under more pressure.
"While our defence was better last week, there is still room for improvement in terms of our one-on-one tackling."
Results this year:
For the Free State Cheetahs:
Free State Cheetahs 22-29 Western Province
Sharks 34-32 Free State Cheetahs
Griquas 16-29 Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs 32-18 Blue Bulls
Golden Lions 43-20 Free State Cheetahs
For the Golden Lions:
Blue Bulls 23-32 Golden Lions
Golden Lions 32-42 Griquas
Golden Lions 26-23 Western Province
Sharks 30-14 Golden Lions
Golden Lions 43-20 Free State Cheetahs
Prediction: Expect plenty of attacking flair,
especially from the Lions, with a bit more structure from the Cheetahs,
Tewis de Bruyn is a talented player, but he is there to add some
structure to a team struggling for continuity. The Lions will have their work cut out, but they could sneak a vital away win - by five points or less.
Teams:
Free Sate Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Nico
Scheepers, 13 Robert Ebersohn (Captain, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Raymond
Rhule, 10 Tewis du Bruyn, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Hendro Scholtz, 7 Lappies
Labuschagne, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen (Vice
Captain), 4 Francois Uys, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Hercu Liebenberg, 1
Schalk van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Elandré Huggett, 17 Ross Geldenhuys,
18 Carl Wegner, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Sias Ebersohn, 21 Phillip
Snyman, 22 Rayno Benjamin.
Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon Helberg, 13
Lionel Mapoe, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Ruan Combrinck, 10 Elton Jantjies,
9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Willie Britz, 6 Cobus
Grobbelaar, 5 Franco Van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie
Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (captain).
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Etienne Oosthuizen, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 Butch James, 22 Jaco Taute.
Referee: Sindile Mayende
Assistants: Quinton Immelman, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Gerrie Coetzee
Sharks v Western Province
(Kings Park, Durban - 19.10; 17.10 GMT)
It may be a cliche, but this is indeed crunch time. It may not be
'Dunkirk' just yet, but with the abbreviated competition now into the
season half of the season any defeat from here on will have dire
consequences for the losers.
Province, like the Sharks and Lions, have 15 log points, but are at the
top of the standings as a result of their superior points differential.
The Sharks have beaten their Cape rivals in their last two meetings -
the Super Rugby semifinal in July and their first-round Currie Cup match
at Newlands.
However, Sharks coach John Plumtree refused to read anything into those
wins - mainly because both teams have undergone drastic personnel
changes since the Super Rugby season.
"I also think they have progressed a lot since the [Currie Cup] first round," Plumtree said.
"Everyone has got better since then but it's still tricky to pick the winners and the losers in this competition.
"Province have their strengths and so do we. It will be a tough contest.
"When we beat them in Cape Town, it wasn't expected, but this group has
played some good passages of rugby at times, and the fact that it is a
home game means we don't want to give it up.
"It's a massive game for us.
"We've seen sides move up and down the log regularly in this campaign,
short as it is, and there are only five pool games left, so every game
now is a massive one for us.
"There is huge determination from us to get a positive result on the weekend."
Province coach Allister Coetzee played down his team's position on the
standings, tagging the Sharks as favourites, despite their impressive
form - which include victories over the Cheetahs and Bulls in the last
three weeks.
"This is a good Sharks side - even without their many Springboks," Coetzee said.
"Their pack then [when WP lost to them in the first round] was probably
weaker than the one now - they've got [Anton] Bresler back and [Keegan]
Daniel too.
Really, they're a quality outfit across the board," the coach added.
He felt home ground advantage could come into the equation.
"It's an away game, which is another challenge for us.
"Every game is important and tough, but we want to start the second
half of season better and we want to continue improving our game," added
the WP boss.
Results this year:
For the Sharks:
Griquas 22-15 Sharks
Sharks 34-32 Free State Cheetahs
Blue Bulls 42-31 Sharks
Sharks 30-14 Golden Lions
Western Province 23-25 Sharks
For Western Province:
Free State Cheetahs 22-29 Western Province
Western Province 42-6 Blue Bulls
Golden Lions 26-23 Western Province
Griquas 20-25 Western Province
Western Province 23-25 Sharks
Prediction: Injuries continue to play havoc with WP
and the main spin-off from that is a lack of consistency. However, the
men from the Cape have overcome that with youthful exuberance in the
last few weeks. The only problem is that the Sharks have gained so key
players, particularly Keegan Daniel. His captaincy and skill, especially
at Currie Cup level, will be critical. The Sharks to gain a valuable win - by about 10 points, to rob Western Province of a crucial away bonus point.
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Tim
Whitehead, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Riaan Viljoen, 9 Cobus
Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5
Anton Bresler, 4 Jandré Marais, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Pieter Dixon, 1 Dale
Chadwick.
Replacements: 16 Monde Hadebe, 17 Julian Redelinghuys,
18 Peet Marais, 19 Brynard Stander, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Marius Joubert,
22 S'bura Sithole.
Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den
Heever, 13 JP du Plessis, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Damian de Allende, 10
Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Jebb Sinclair, 7 Tyrone Holmes, 6
Deon Fourie (captain), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Don Armand, 3 Brok Harris,
2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Steven Kitshoff, 17 Tom Botha, 18
Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Helmut Lehmann, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Kurt
Coleman, 22 Joe Pietersen.
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistants: Jaco van Heerden, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
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