Currie Cup: Round 8

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Only 3 more rounds left in this season. The big question on everyone's mind will be if Griquas will make the play-offs. The Kimberley team lost at Newlands last weekend and they have a chance to redeem themselves at home, playing against their franchise partners, Free State Cheetahs. The Lions will look to build on the win last weekend when they play WP at Newlands. The Sharks, WP and Griquas are the 3 teams chasing the Transvaal team with the Cheetahs and Bulls fighting against a promotion/relegation match. Let's look at the matches of this weekend.

We start the weekend on Friday. In the Shark Tank, the Natal Sharks take on the Blue Bulls. The Sharks have a winning streak against the Blue Bulls at Kings Park of 7 in a row. The last time the Bulls won was 2006. Since then, the Sharks have not lost to the Bulls at home, including the 2008 Currie Cup final and the 2010 semi final. The Sharks will be looking to keep the pressure on the Lions and hold on to the no. 2 spot on the log. With Burden and Mvovo back with the Boks, Hadebe and Sithole will have to step up again. John Plumtree is angry at not getting Lambie back, who hasn't been playing for the Sharks but a lot of people see a fly-half solution in Meyer Bosman. With the omission of Louis Ludik for the Bok squad, the Sharks hold on to their best player this season. The Bulls will be without Jacques Potgieter again and the Bulls, after winning against the Cheetahs, will look to fight for their chance to reach the play-offs. With just 1 bonuspoint the Pretoria side are trailing in the hunt for the cherished spot. Winning in Durban will bring them closer to the top teams and it will be a very interesting match to watch. Sharks to take this by 6.

On Saturday we have 2 matches played at the same time. In Cape Town the Golden Lions take on Western Province. Both teams won their match last weekend and it will be an interesting clash. The Western Province team will miss 6 players on Bok duty while the Lions are without 3 essential players. Taute and Jantjies, who were important to them last weekend, are among them. With Jantjies out, Butch James will take his place. Western Province miss a lot of players but their youngsters have really stepped up so far this season. Marcel Brache and JP du Plessis as the center-combo has exceeded expectations but the problems are in the loose forward-department. Tyrone Holmes will return from a suspension which gives them a bit more depth but the real question is who will play scrum-half. Louis Schreuder and Nic Groom have both been more than decent with Duvenhage missing the rest of the season. The last time the Golden Lions won at Newlands, Bryan Habana scored... For the Lions, that is. Andre Watson was the referee and Schalk Brits, Ricky Januarie, Jaque Fourie and Corad Jantjes were all representing the Jo'burg team. It was 8 years ago, in 2004. It's difficult to call, but with WP's form and the Lions missing key players compared to last week, I pick WP by 12.

The most interesting match of the weekend is played in Bloemfontein. The Griquas are playing out of their skin and the little brother of the franchise will look to bounce back after losing at Newlands to WP last weekend. The Free State Cheetahs however, are last on the log after losing to the Bulls. The difference between them and the no. 4, Griquas, is only 3 points and they have everything to play for. After losing valuable players like Davon Raubenheimer, Barry Geel and Sarel Pretorius to their big brother, the Griquas management has once again found players to step up and bring excitement to the matches of the Kimberley team. Francois Brummer, Marnus Hugo, Marnus Schoeman and Willie le Roux spark their attack and the only worry is the defensive part of their gameplan. When Griquas score first, they always show the most entertaining rugby played in South Africa but as soon as they trail, they lack the patience and experience to come back. In the last 10 years, Griquas only managed to win once at Free State Stadium. In 2009 they won Griquas-style, 4 converted tries, no penalties, no drop-goals, pure rugby. They have the talent this season to repeat that achievement. It's daring, but I pick Griquas by 8.


The vBookie event for this round will be Natal Sharks - Blue Bulls

Round 8 Fixtures

Kings Park, Durban (19:10 GMT)

Newlands, Cape Town (14:00 GMT)

Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein (14:00 GMT)

 

[Sker]

My Shark brothers, please oh please rape those Bulls... I don't even want them in the play-offs.

 

[Draggs]

Because you asked nicely, we'll try.
Oh how I wish the Cheetahs had won at Loftus.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Oh we will!!! At home we are much better than at altitude. Don't worry about it. Our bogey teams these days are Lions and Griquas. We never struggle against the Cheetahs. Maybe it's because we don't need to book hotels when travelling to Bloem. Most players just stay with mom and dad when playing the Cheetahs in Bloem haha

 

[Draggs]

OK, I've sort of gotten over the snoiL loss now (not like it is unusual).
Bring on the Bulls! Looking over the S15 calender, I am already looking forward to the new season. I need to find more things to occupy my time. You'd think class and all that, but really?

I like the look of Hadebe. Made a few mistakes, but he really looks to get stuck in and participate. Good to see. We need some bloody props, though. Chadwick is Vodacom Cup. I feel bad slagging him off, but he clearly isn't CC or beyond. I wholly appreciate the time and effort he has given to the Shark, I just don't think he is cut out for this level.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Well, maybe BJ Botha finally wants to return from his stint in Europe. He would be a good solution. It would give us some depth and BJ can play both loose-head and tight-head prop. Other than that, we only have incompetent youngsters. Both Chadwick and Redelinghuys won't make it in the long run. Nick Schonert is a good prospect, but we can use some experience in our prop depth for the Currie Cup.

 

[Draggs]

Our props did well in the U20's. One had that big Kiwi's number, didn't he?
Dell seems to be a hooker now, but we have a few props still coming through.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

15. Riaan Viljoen, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Louis Ludik , 10. Meyer Bosman, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Keegan Daniel ©, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Anton Bresler, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 2. Pieter Dixon, 1. Dale Chadwick.

Replacements:
16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Julian Redelinghuys, 18. Jandre Marais, 19. Lubabalo Mtembu, 20. Charl McLeod, 21. Marius Joubert, 22. Sibusiso Sithole.

15. Jürgen Visser, 14. Akona Ndungane, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Francois Venter, 11. Sampie Mastriet, 10. Louis Fouche/Lionel Cronje, 9. Jano Vermaak, 8. CJ Stander, 7. Arno Botha, 6. Dewald Potgieter ©, 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Willie Wepener, 1. Mornè Mellett.

Replacements:
16. Bongo Mbonambi, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Grant Hattingh, 19. Warwick Tecklenburg, 20. Ruan Snyman, 21. Lionel Cronje/Willie du Plessis, 22. Ulrich Beyers.

15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. JP du Plessis, 12. Marcel Brache, 11. Damian de Allende, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Louis Schreuder, 8. Jebb Sinclair, 7. Tyrone Holmes, 6. Deon Fourie ©, 5. De Kock Steenkamp, 4. Don Armand, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Steven Kitshoff.

Replacements:
16. Deon Carstens, 17. Brok Harris, 18. Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19. Helmut Lehman, 20. Nic Groom, 21. Bertin Klaasen, 22. Pat Howard.

15. Andries Coetzee, 14. Deon Helberg, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Dylan Des Fountain, 11. Ruan Combrinck, 10. Butch James, 9. Michael Bondesio, 8. Warren Whiteley, 7. Jaco Kriel, 6. Cobus Grobbelaar, 5. Franco Van der Merwe, 4. Michael Rhodes, 3 .Jacobie Adriaanse, 2. Callie Visagie, 1. JC Janse van Rensburg ©

Replacements:
16. Martin Bezuidenhout, 17. Ruan Dreyer, 18. Etienne Oosthuizen, 19. Willie Britz, 20. Ross Cronje, 21. Deon Van Rensburg, 22. James Kamana

15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Nico Scheepers, 13. Raymond Rhule, 12. Robert Ebersohn ©, 11. Rayno Benjamin, 10. Sias Ebersohn, 9. Sarel Pretorius, 8. Philip van der Walt, 7. Lappies Labuschagne, 6. Heinrich Brüssow, 5. Izak van der Westhuizen, 4. Francois Uys, 3. Ross Geldenhuys, 2. Hercu Liebenberg, 1. Marcel van der Merwe.

Replacements:
16. AJ le Roux, 17. Brummer Badenhorst, 18. Carl Wegner, 19. Hendro Scholtz, 20. Tewis de Bruyn, 21. Philip Snyman, 22. Andries Strauss.

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, 6. Marnus Schoeman, 5. Martin Muller, 4. Ligtoring Landman, 3. Lourens Adriaanse, 2. Ryno Barnes ©, 1. Janro van Niekerk.

Replacements:
16. Matt Dobson, 17. Ivann Espag, 18. Edwin Hewitt, 19. Justin Downey, 20. Jacques Coetzee, 21. Marnitz Boshoff, 22. JP Nel.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Well guys, we see the most exciting midfield combination possible in Durban... Whitehead and Jordaan, together. Both have been outstanding so far this year and both had their injury problems. I hope they will survive this match without any pains. Joubert will come on for Jordaan most likely. Seeing Viljoen at full-back and Ludik on the wing is the move I've been preaching for weeks now. Bosman at 10 is the best option with Lambie still carrying tackle bags for the Boks.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Well guys, we see the most exciting midfield combination possible in Durban... Whitehead and Jordaan, together. Both have been outstanding so far this year and both had their injury problems. I hope they will survive this match without any pains. Joubert will come on for Jordaan most likely. Seeing Viljoen at full-back and Ludik on the wing is the move I've been preaching for weeks now. Bosman at 10 is the best option with Lambie still carrying tackle bags for the Boks.

Yeah your backline looks very dangerous! but you have Meyer Tosman as Fly-half!! He is prone to f***-ups!

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Usually, yes. But at fly-half he has been very solid this year. His kicking off the tee is spot-on (Dan Carter-like) and against the Cheetahs especially, he was the main reason we pulled through and won it in the end. As a center he is not good enough but fly-half cover is something he can play very well.

He is no Fouche, but since he kicks the ball across the dead-ball line more often than not, he is also a player with some negatives.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Sharks have some serious depth to put that team out with so many players doing Bok duty. That Meter Bosman though....

My favorite moment in rugby ever is Meyer scoring a try on the 10m line.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Well, looking at the positions, we do have some depth, yes.

1. Mtawarira & Chadwick
2. Bismarck, Burden, Dixon, Hadebe & Cooper
3. Jannie, Herbst
4. J. Marais, P. Marais, Sykes*
5. Bresler, du Toit
6. Botes*, Daniel, Kleinhans
7. Deysel, Coetzee, Stander
8. Kankowski**, Alberts, Mtembu
9. Reinach, McLeod, Hoffmann
10.Lambie, Bosman
11.Mvovo, Sithole
12.Whitehead, F. Steyn
13.Jordaan, Joubert
14.Pietersen, Ndungane
15.Ludik, Viljoen, Prinsloo


* Sykes and Botes are leaving, ** Kankowski will be back in February

We have amazing depth but we could use a proper fly-half and lock. Rumours have been going around about Janjties and Franco van der Merwe moving to Durban.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

You should look to lure back Gerhard Mostert. How you guys let him go is beyond me.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Well, it's not really our fault. Gerhard Mostert wanted to sign just for 1 year when he moved to Durban. He wanted to go to France since he was not considered in PdV's plans for the Springboks. It's ironic how he was selected a week after he signed for Stade Francais. If he ever comes back, I hope he returns to the Sharks. He played his best rugby for us, but to be honest... We have 4 amazingly talented locks and with the possible addition of Franco van der Merwe we are set.

 

[Draggs]

Save for the tight five, I like our XV.
Looking forward to seeing Riaan back in his best position. With regards to Ludik, when he playson the wing, he still covers at fullback at times. Having both him and Viljoen in the back three give us reliable cover.
Bosman's boot has been good, but does he have the ability to direct the backline? If our pack can stay competent, then he should get some clean ball from Reinach. Come on Jacobus, keep it up!
His father's genes are pretty plain to say, look at the pace for his try last week.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Just watch the Sharks-Cheetahs match of a couple of weeks ago. In the second half, Viljoen went off and Bosman moved to fly-half and from that moment onwards, we scored 21 points in 20 minutes, winning the match by 2

 

[Draggs]

Half hour to go!
Huge match, this, hope Meyer is up for it.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Only 15 minutes man! 19:10 is the starting time.

I am nervous haha

 

[Draggs]

Only 15 minutes man! 19:10 is the starting time.

I am nervous haha

Aye, I typed up that posted and went to do a few things before posting.
Sharks are my sole focus now...