Currie Cup Predictions – Round 8

With just three rounds of regular season action remaining, sides in the hunt for playoff places can ill-afford to slip-up , writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The table-topping Bulls will be the favourites to keep their unbeaten record intact when they welcome Griquas (seventh) to Loftus Versfeld on Friday night.

There are two huge games on Saturday with Western Province (sixth) playing the Sharks XV (fourth) in Cape Town and the Cheetahs (third) taking on the Lions (second), while Sunday will see the Griffons (eighth) host the Pumas (fifth) in Welkom.

Bulls v Griquas

Friday, 23 August – 19:05

For a team pursuing perfection, the log leading Bulls would not have been entirely pleased with their 40-24 win over the Pumas last Friday.

Hitting the ground running in Nelspruit, they wrapped up the four-try bonus point inside 25 minutes and looked set for a huge win but lacked killer instinct and allowed the Lowvelders back into the game.

Vulnerable in the third quarter, they took back control with two tries in the final 20 minutes, however, they’ll look to maintain their high standards for a full 80 minutes.

Griquas are coming off a morale-boosting 59-7 runaway win over the Griffons last Sunday. Commanding and slick, they didn’t give their hosts a sniff, dominating collisions and racing into a 17-point halftime lead before shifting into top gear in the second 40. They’ll know, however, that they face a massive step up on Friday.

As buoyed as the Peacock Blues will be, they’ll be brought back down to earth by the dominant Bulls, who’ll make them pay at the breakdown and overwhelm them with their cohesion.

Western Province v Sharks XV

Saturday, 24 August – 15:00

Enduring a tough campaign, Western Province will want to snap a two-match losing streak and give their home fans something to cheer about. 

Their basics have been letting them down, they have leaky defence as well as indiscipline, their pack are consistently coming off second best, plus they’re sloppy at the breakdown.

The surging Sharks will fancy their chances of conquering Cape Town after stunning the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. The young side from Durban have turned things tremendously and are unbeaten in their last four games.

Playing with a real spring in their step, they controlled the pace of the game in the first half and showed composure beyond their experience when they went down to 14 men twice.

Lionel Cronje has been great game driver for them in the last two rounds and won the kicking game in the City of Roses. He’ll be pivotal again come Saturday.

With stern defence and their set pieces also going from strength to strength (they won three scrum penalties last weekend), the Sharks should continue their winning ways. 

Cheetahs v Lions

Saturday, 24 August – 17:00

The Cheetahs’ bad habit of starting slow finally caught up with them last weekend as they suffered a 25-20 loss to the Sharks at home. Again, they couldn’t get into their rhythm in the first half, and while they fought back well from 15-3 down to lead late in the game, the Sharks managed to regain the lead and complete the upset. 

For the Bloemfontein side, it’s all about getting off to a better start. With parity or a leg up at halftime, they’ll be in a position to really benefit from the firepower they have on the bench, with their reserve front row having made a massive impact in the last few rounds.  

The Lions were clinical in their emphatic 41-22 win over Western Province, leading 38-8 at one stage. They are a well-oiled machine with punch in the pack and a dynamic loose trio, where last weekend’s hat-trick hero Renzo du Plessis has been a revelation. 

They have weapons aplenty in the backline, grit on the defensive line, shrewdness when it comes to maul stopping and good exits. The Cheetahs will be desperate after dropping last weekend’s game, but I sense the speed and senergy of the Lions will see them leave Bloem with the win.

Griffons v Pumas

Sunday, 25 August – 15:00

For a game they would’ve targeted, the Griffons were far too passive against Griquas last Sunday.

They allowed the men from Kimberley to dictate terms and trailed 24-7 at halftime having had just 27% possession with things going from bad to worse in the second half. 

They continued to make basic mistakes, had gaping holes in their defence and poor tackle technique, with the only positive being the good work they did at the breakdown.

The Pumas will rue that they weren’t at the races against the Bulls in the first 30 minutes last weekend. However, they would’ve taken heart from the impressive way they fought back to go from 26-0 to within two points.

They showed in that middle period of the game that they can front up and push even the pacesetters around. The problem is they’ve only been good in spurts this season. Decision-making continued to cost them at crucial times, unforced errors added to their frustration, and they struggled under the high ball.

When they’re on, they use their forwards effectively to suck in defenders and create scoring opportunities out wide and their scrum and driving maul are dangerous weapons, all of which will see them put away the Purple People Eaters.