Currie Cup Semi-Finals Predictions: WP & Sharks To Cover The Spread

Intensity will match tension as the top four teams in this year’s Currie Cup collide in compelling semi-final showdowns this weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The regular season wrapped up in dramatic fashion last weekend and business is bound to pick up as the final four vie for places in the decider.

First up is a North-South derby on Friday night, which will see the table-topping Bulls welcome Western Province to Loftus Versfeld, before the spotlight shifts to Kings Park on Saturday, where the Sharks play host to Griquas.

Currie Cup Team Of The Weekend

Bulls v Western Province

(Friday – 19.00)

The great rivals of South African rugby have had contrasting campaigns. The Bulls have been a well-oiled machine who marched into the semi-finals with authority. The men from Pretoria were the pacesetters for the majority of the season and with eight wins and just two losses, they comfortably topped the log to secure this home semi-final and a possible home final.

The Capetonians, conversely, have been criminally inconsistent. If they are able to shock the Bulls, it’ll be the first time they manage back-to-back wins all season. As a result, they just barely snuck into the semis courtesy of a bonus-point win over the Sharks in Durban last Saturday.

The character-filled performance at Kings Park would’ve wiped away many of the struggles they’ve endured. The fact that they claimed a full-house in the fashion they did, when anything but would’ve marked the end of the road, is the greatest psychological boost they could’ve hoped for, one that’s infused in them confidence that they can pull off an even bigger upset come Friday night.

Essentially, Province are playing with house money; they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, which makes them extremely dangerous, and if they back themselves and play the up-tempo rugby they blew the Sharks out of the water with, they’ll be in with a shout.

The reality, however, is as the only team who played all of their fixtures this season (three of the Bulls’ matches were cancelled in line with Covid protocols), their bodies will be aching. The 46-25 drubbing they took in Kimberley in Round 13 was the most recent example of John Dobson’s men being outmuscled and as willing as their minds will be, they’re unlikely to hold up against the physical onslaught of the Bulls, who should power into another home final quite convincingly.

Sharks v Griquas

Saturday – 17:00

The giant killers from Kimberley may be the underdogs, but they will be full of confidence. They’ve long been the Sharks’ bogey side and sunk them 37-27 on their last visit to Kings Park. They won’t admit it, but that “embarrassing” loss as coach Sean Everitt put it will be haunting the Durbanites all week.

That’s because the Peacock Blues overcame five yellow cards in that Round Eight encounter to avenge their 30-16 first-round loss to the coastal outfit. It’ll thus be as big of a mental battle for the men in Black and White as it will be a physical one, especially coming off the home loss to Province as well.

Given THAT card game, discipline will be hammered into players’ minds in both camps this week. It’s playoff rugby and with both sides having accurate goal-kickers, it could come down to composure in the silent cauldron. Another key factor will be the breakdown battle. Griquas have been excellent in this department, where Gideon van der Merwe has lead the charge, and it’s here where the Sharks will have to step up to both protect their possession and deny Scott Mathie’s men momentum.

The best path to victory against Griquas has long been limiting them to first gear i.e. stopping them from getting into the game by robbing them of rhythm. Back in the semi-finals for the first time since 1998, Griquas are greater than the sum of their parts – a true team – and will fight to the end.

However, the class of the Sharks and their playoff experience should see them punch their ticket to the decider in Pretoria with a bit of breathing room.