Big clashes in round 11 of the Currie Cup

August 08, 2024
3069
Ultimate Rugby

As the Currie Cup Premier Division moves into the second half of the league phase, the race for the semi-final spots is heating up nicely, with four more exciting encounters lined up for the long weekend.

Round six action gets underway from 15h00 on Saturday, when the Lions and Pumas clash in Johannesburg.

The Doornfontein encounter, one of three to be staged on Saturday, will be followed by the Bulls’ home fixture against the NovaVit Griffons in Pretoria (17h05), and the clash between Western Province against the Cheetahs in Cape Town (19h10).

The final match of the weekend is between the Sharks and Griquas on Sunday at 15h00 in Durban.

After stringing together five wins in a row against the Lions since the opening round of the competition in 2021, the Pumas saw their winning run dry up, with their rivals from Gauteng winning the last two clashes between the teams.

On Saturday at Emirates Airline Park, the men from Mpumalanga will be eager to make amends for their 75-21 drubbing when the two teams last met at the beginning of last month in Nelspruit.

These two teams, as well as the Cheetahs (second on the log), all have 18 league points, with the Lions third and the Pumas fourth on points differential.

Sandwiched in the middle of the three Saturday games, log leaders, the Bulls, host the last-placed NovaVit Griffons at Loftus Versfeld. It will be a case of the league's best defence against the one which have leaked the most points so far.

When the two met during the second round in July, the Pretoria outfit easily won by a margin of 42 points. The side from Welkom have shown plenty of enterprise on attack despite going down in all five games so far this season, but they will have to improve their defence if they want to surprise the log leaders.

When WP and Cheetahs meet at the Stadium, the Capetonians will be fully aware that a home win is a must against the Free Staters if they want to stay within touch of the top four.

Last week, WP put the NovaVit Griffons to the sword at home, however, the men from Bloemfontein will offer a far more difficult assignment. The Cheetahs have won their last three meetings, including the previous clash last month by a margin of 20 points in Bloemfontein.

A quick glance at the last five results between the Sharks and Griquas shows a trend of a win every other game for the team from Kimberley, meaning three wins from five starts.

After making a slow start with no wins in their opening three games, the Durbanites have since won a game plus managed a high-scoring draw. Given their recent upward curve, the Sharks will fancy their chances in this home clash with Griquas.

All the action will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Match information:

Lions vs Pumas

Date: Saturday, 10 August

Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Time: 15h00

Referee: AJ Jacobs3

Bulls vs NovaVit Griffons

Date: Saturday, 10 August

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Time: 17h05

Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU)