1 August 2018, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

CURRIE CUP PREDICTIONS – ROUND 5

Round Five of this year’s Currie Cup will kick-off with a rare Friday afternoon game when Western Province play host to the Pumas.

The 2019 single-round competition has served up several surprises, which sees one of the ‘minnows’, Griquas (15), top the standings. The Golden Lions (13) are in second place, while the Free State Cheetahs (11) and Western Province (7) occupy the other semi-final slots at this stage. The Pumas (7) are fifth, followed by the struggling Sharks (6) and basement-dwelling Blue Bulls (5).

With the playoffs fast approaching, no side can afford a slip-up this weekend. There are two crunch clashes on Saturday with the Sharks squaring off with the Cheetahs at Kings Park and the Lions battling rivals the Bulls at Ellis Park.

The expected return of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi will give Western Province an extra boost after their bye. They started their campaign with three bruising battles against the Bulls, Sharks and Lions, winning the first and narrowly dropping the next two, so the bye came at a perfect time for them.

The Pumas could be seen as a welcome change of pace, but they showed against the Sharks last weekend that they shouldn’t be overlooked. In that regard, the Sharks’ loss will be Province’s gain.

The Pumas’ passion, despite losing their first three games in a row, was what powered them to their deserved 27-20 victory, and the wild celebrations that followed showed how much the win over the defending champions meant to them.

They backed themselves and were able to build continuity as a result, which led to them coming back from 11 points down to defeat the Durban side, and they’ll seek to continue that attacking synergy in Cape Town. While the Pumas will be game, Province will pick up the full five points.

Prediction: Western Province by 12. 

After crashing to another upset in Nelspruit, it is officially panic stations in Durban. The loss to the Pumas was similar to the opening-round hammering they endured against Griquas, and with just the solitary win over Western Province, the Sharks’ Currie Cup reign is hanging by a thread. They have to win all their matches from here on out to have any hope of retaining their crown.

Unfortunately for them, they’re running into a strong Cheetahs teams who’ll be determined to bounce back from their first loss of the season. The inconsistency that stunted the Sharks’ progress in Super Rugby has carried over to the Currie Cup. Sean Everitt’s appointment as head coach hasn’t had the desired immediate effect, and it seems it’ll take time for the Durban side to overcome this particular demon. After a solid first half against the Pumas, the wheels came off in the second. Discipline has been an issue for the Durbanites; it was their downfall in Nelspruit and it would’ve been one of their key areas of focus this week.

The Cheetahs will feel they lost last Friday’s catfight as opposed to the Lions winning it. They dominated the first quarter, starving the Lions of possession and piling on the pressure which led to the visitors conceding a yellow card and 12 points during the ensuing 10 minutes. However, they made the cardinal error of giving the comeback kings a sniff and lost their unbeaten record and place atop the standings as a result.

Their absolute refusal to kick at goal, right up to the final stages, which proved too late, was the main reason why they couldn’t put the visitors away when they had the chance. Most of the ‘bigger’ unions have been guilty of this, their focus being on sharpening their game plans for Super Rugby and PRO14, however, I expect more teams to take the points on offer heading into the business end of the competition, especially the Sharks, now that they have to win at all costs.

That pressure/motivation will see the Sharks lift their game back to the level that saw them beat Province, which makes this a tough one to call. It could go either way, but my money is on the Cheetahs to come away with a close win.

Prediction: Free State by 3.

If there’s one game the Bulls will be up for, it’s the trans-Jukskei derby. Will the desire to beat their neighbours in their backyard be enough to resuscitate a team firmly entrenched at the bottom of the log with just one win from four? Even a staunch supporter of the struggling side would have to agree it’s improbable.

Last weekend’s 37-15 loss to Griquas was their second thrashing at Loftus and understandably sent coach Pote Human into a meltdown. Human slammed the performance as “a disgrace for the blue jersey” and said that they had officially hit “rock bottom.” He also dismissed their slim chances of still qualifying for the semi-finals.

It was indeed a shambolic showing by a side made up almost entirely of Super Rugby players, made that much worse by the fact that they led 10-0 early on. Their biggest crime was their poor ball protection, and when they did have possession, they coughed it up through amateurish unforced errors. These are the areas of their game they’ll drastically need to improve if they are to pose a threat to the Lions. Adding injury to insult, several key players picked up niggles and are doubtful for this weekend’s derby.

The Lions made life difficult for themselves – again – but pulled a rabbit out of the hat for a third time to edge the fancied Free Staters in Bloemfontein. They are now the only unbeaten team left and a win here will see them move into the top spot.

They’re clearly a side driven by unwavering belief, and lethal young backs like Wandisile Simelane and Tyrone Green, two of our stars of the future, have acted like NOS, giving them the boost required to win races down the stretch.
They’ll want to avoid another slow start, but either way, you’d have to think they’ll get past the embattled Bulls rather convincingly.

Prediction: Golden Lions by 12.

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