ITM and Currie Cup Finals

Currie Cup Final
Sat 27 Oct
Sharks v Western Province     10:00am Houston time Live at Big Johns on wilcrest

ITM Cup 2nd Div final
Fri 26 Oct
Counties Manukau v Otago     01:35am   Game over and Counties run away with game at end. They are promoted to championship bracket next year.



Championship Final
Sat 27 Oct
Canterbury v Auckland     01:35am
Game over and Canterbury ended up running away with game 31-18 although at half time it looked like Auckland had the skills and muscle to win. But age and cunning of Canterbury won the day.

Pete picks;
Counties by 5

Sharks for Currie Cup by 5

The competition was trimmed to just six sides this season but retained the top four play-off system, which meant interest was held until the final round. It also meant that a team who had won just half their games can win the trophy, which doesn’t seem quite right.

The Sharks have won their last 4 games and 8/11 overall, with the 3 defeats all occurring on the road. They have won an impressive 43 of the last 47 matches on home soil by an average score of 31-16.

With the introduction of returning Springboks, it can be a bit misleading to look at how the teams have performed earlier in season however it’s worth noting that the Sharks have outscored teams after the break in 8/11 games and by at least 5 points at home so -3 on the 2nd half handicap is a decent option.

The home side has won the last 5 finals

Well Western province prevailed 25-18.

Haven't decided on ITM Championship...its a tough one and there are doubts about injuries to Ccanterbury side, so will need to check line up later.
I eventually decided this would be close but Canterbury has the experience to win by 3.
Game over and....
This game was a tale of 2 halves. Territory and possession were with Auckland. Auckland would feel confident going into half time.
But Canterbury played great and finally won 31-18. In fact it really was worse as Auckland only managed a last try in extra time when Canterbury were already partying.