Fri, 28 Aug 200901:43 www.rugby365.com

The spotlight will finally shift off Griquas coach Dawie Theron and  his team as we enter the second half of the Currie Cup league phase.

Well, not entirely, but at least the table-topping Sharks and second-placed Western Province will steal the bulk of the limelight when they go head-to-head in Durban.

The other big game is the trans-Jukskei derby between the struggling Golden Lions and the Blue Bulls, with Griquas’ encounter with the Cheetahs in Kimberley playing a lesser role in the weekend’s drama.

The Kimberley team has dropped from first position in the competition to third after suffering consecutive defeats – to the Blue Bulls and the Sharks – in recent weeks.

The weekend’s action kicks off on Friday with the basement battle between the Leopards (last place) and Boland Cavaliers (second last) in Potchefstroom.

The on Saturday we have the Central Unions derby, Griquas versus Cheetahs, the coastal clash, Sharks against WP, and the Gauteng get-together, Lions hosting the Bulls.

rugby365 looks at all the Round Seven action!

Friday, August 28:

Leopards v Boland Cavaliers
(Olën Park, Potchefstroom – 19.10, 17.10 GMT)

This will represent the Leopards’ best chance of a win in this year’s competition, probably also their last – a fact that coach Chaka Willemse readily acknowledges.

The hosts have been winless in the competition this season and will be determined to secure their first victory against their opponents, who are currently languishing in seventh position on the standings.

“This will be our best opportunity of achieving a win in the competition and we have to ensure that we perform to achieve a victory against the Cavaliers,” Willemse said.

“I think the pressure will be on them to beat us, so hopefully we’ll try and use that to our advantage and upset them.

“We are at home, but are the underdogs.

“So if our players could stick to the basics and cut out on the on-field errors, we could pick up our first win of the competition.”

It is worth remembering that the Cavaliers’ only win this season was in Round One against the Leopards – a 26-18 triumph in Wellington.

It is thus not unreasonable to expect a Leopards win.

The winner of this weekend’s clash will also go a long way towards avoid finishing last in the competition – which could be of some help when the promotion/relegation games come along at the end of the season.

rugby365 Prediction: Calls us a bunch of romantics, but we wish the Leopards at least one win and this may well be it. The Leopards to sneak their maiden victory – by less than 10 points.

Teams:

Leopards: 15 Russell Jeacocks, 14 Shuaib Samaai, 13 Jovan Bowles, 12 Basil de Doncker, 11 Danie Dames, 10 Cecil Dumont, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Christo van Niekerk, 7 Thabo Mamojele, 6 Wilhelm Koch (captain), 5 Edrich Linde, 4 Rynard Landman, 3 Philip Lemmer, 2 Marthinus van der Westhuizen, 1 Divan Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Gavin Williamson, 17 Nardus Lombard, 18 Rudi Mathee, 19 Riaan Swanepoel, 20 Theo van Wyk, 21 Clayton Durand, 21 Jean Tiedt.

Boland Cavaliers: 15 Justin Peach, 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Hein Myburgh, 11 Luvo Sogidashe, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Danie van der Merwe, 8 Carel Hoffman, 7 Wendal Wehr, 6 Zolani Mofu, 5 Rito Hlungwane, 4 Nico Esterhuyse, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Clemen Lewis (captain), 1 Janro van Niekerk.
Replacements: 16 Harry Vermaas, 17 Johan Roets, 18 George Earl, 19 Zandré Jordaan, 20 Denzil Willemse, 21 Ernie Kruger, 22 Llewellyn Adonis.

Referee:  Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Mtheleni Msileni
TMO: Gerrie Coetzee

Saturday, August 29:

Griquas v Free State Cheetahs
(GWK Park, Kimberley – 15.00, 13.00 GMT)

Despite the wheels coming off a bit in the past fortnight, you simply can’t write Griquas off as play-off contenders.

In fact Griquas coach Dawie Theron is adamant that his team are still serious contenders to make this season’s semifinals.

But Saturday’s Kimberley encounter will go a long way towards confirming their credentials.

Not only will another defeat see them drop further behind the leading pack, it may well open the door for the Cheetahs – who would then have achieved their fourth consecutive win – to sneak back into the play-off race.

The Kimberley team have dropped from first to third with those two defeats and simply need to regain their self confidence.

The Griquas coach believes that his side will be able to confirm their status as Currie Cup contenders by defeating the Cheetahs.

“We are not out of the race yet,” a defiant Theron said.

“We are still aiming to make the semifinals.

“It’s been extremely disappointing to lose to both the Sharks and the Blue Bulls, but we now have a chance at home to defeat the Cheetahs and prove to everyone we are semifinal contenders.

“I said earlier in the season that our intentions are to make the semifinals and if we can get the result against the Cheetahs, we’ll be right on track.”

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské has indicated that they intend dominating the set pieces, as they believe Griquas could be particularly vulnerable in the scrums.

If they control the possession and dominate territory, it will create opportunities for their flyers – wings Jongi Nokwe and Danwel Demas.

Nokwe, in particular, will be looking to continue the improved form he has shown in recent weeks, after a disappointing start to the domestic season.

rugby365 Prediction: No doubt this game will be a test of character for both Griquas and the Cheetahs – who know that another defeat could be the end of their aspirations. We feel Griquas will bounce back on their home ground and make it a double against the Cheetahs. Griquas by 10 points.

Teams:

Griquas: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Egon Seconds, 13 Wilmaure Louw, 12 Barry Geel, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Heinrich Stride, 7 Davon Raubenheimer, 6 Jonathan Mokuena (captain), 5 Jacques Lombaard, 4 Brendon Snyman, 3 Ruaan du Preez, 2 Ryno Barnes, 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Andries Kruger, 17 Albertus Buckle, 18 Cecil Kemp, 19 Sean Plaatjies, 20 Dougie Hellmuth, 21 Jaco Bekker, 22 Gavin Passens.

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Danwel Demas, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Corné Uys, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Jean-Pierre Joubert, 8 Frans Viljoen, 7 Hendro Scholtz, 6 Johan Wessels, 5 David de Villiers, 4 Nico Breedt, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 Izak van der Westhuizen, 19 Lucas Floors, 20 Tertius Carse, 21 Louis Strydom, 22 Phillip Snyman.

Referee: Peter Allen (Scotland)
Assistant referee: Mtheleni Msileni, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Michael Cupido

Sharks v Western Province
(Absa Stadium, Durban – 15.00, 13.00 GMT)

Sharks coach Plumtree said this week that the match would be a “real cracker:, especially with Western Province the only side to have beaten The Sharks this season.

Fresh from winning the Coach of the Month award, Plumtree said that this top-of-the-table clash has a lot of significance and is not about revenge for the Sharks.

They know that a win against their closest rivals, on the table, will give them a big boost in their drive for home ground advantage in the play-offs.

“The boys are obviously very excited,” Plumtree said about playing Province.

“We have a lot of respect for this Province side, it’s loaded with talent.

“They’ll come here knowing they can beat us, the plus for us is that we’ve been playing well and are expecting a large crowd. The players look forward to these challenges so it’s not been hard from a coaching perspective to get the team up for this game.”

With good weather predicted, Plumtree admitted that the conditions will play a big role.

“The weather conditions change the dynamics, so let’s hope it’s dry.

“It’s going to be intense and physical, both sides are pretty stingy in terms of conceding tries so defence is going to be up there.

“We also have a good referee, we’re pleased to have Jonathan Kaplan.

“They have a heavy forward pack which has scored something like nine tries from driving mauls, this team is quite well-balanced and they can compete against any team in this competition.”

WP captain Luke Watson agreed with Plumtree that the match would be a cracker.

“We [WP] have been developing and progressing over the last couple of weeks,” Watson said, adding: “We are getting a lot closer to the structure and gameplan that we want to play.”

Watson said his team is not necessary the underdogs, even though the Sharks top the table and they are at home.

“We are fully aware of their capabilities,” Watson said.

“They can attack from anywhere and they are well-rounded. Then they also have those players coming back – like [scrumhalf Rory] Kockott and [flyhalf Juan] Hernandez – who add a lot of strike power and experience.”

The WP captain said he expects the Sharks to continue their expansive game, despite the importance of the occasion.

“The Sharks have changed their style. In the Super 14 they kicked quite a bit, but in now they are running it from everywhere and playing a lot more expansive.

“Their greatest strength is their running game, but we will look at disrupting the set pieces and disrupting them at the source.”

rugby365 Prediction: The Sharks have looked a more settled side and have quality all over the park. In fact they now have experience throughout the ‘spine’ of the team – hooker, lock, No.8, scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback. Province remain a dangerous outfit, but the Sharks may well have the edge. The Sharks by about 10 points.

Teams:

The Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Chris Jordaan, 13 Andries Strauss, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Juan Hernandez, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Deon Carstens/Patric Cilliers.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Patric Cilliers/Deon Carstens, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Monty Dumond, 22 Waylon Murray.

Western Province: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Juan De Jongh, 12 Morgan Newman, 11 Gio Aplon, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenhage, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw,
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JD Moller, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Frikkie Welsh, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Assistant referee: Lourens van der Merwe, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Shaun Veldsman

Lions v Blue Bulls
(Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg – 17.05, 15.05)

Hans Coetzee’s Lions team, who suffered consecutive defeats to the Sharks and Western Province in the last fortnight, has not looked like a settled outfit at any stage this season.

The many personnel changes – both in terms of those who moved on and those whom Coetzee dropped through a lack of form – would not have helped either.

However, despite the up-and-down nature of their season, the Lions remain a major threat to their northern neighbours.

“That is the big danger of the Lions, that unpredictable form,” Blue Bulls loose forward Jacques Burger said.

“They could be on song against you and easily knock you over. If you are not up for the challenge you will be in for a big hiding.”

Burger felt the Lions remain a good team.

“They are just struggling to get it together with so many new guys in the set-up – there are times when they struggle, but at times they also play very good rugby.

“And you can never write off any team in this competition. Add to that the fact that it is on their home field, and we know that we will be in for a tough day at the office.”

Burger did not try to hide the fact that the Bulls have no intention of changing their tactics – a pattern they have perfected through years of Currie Cup and Super Rugby.

“We believe in what we do. It doesn’t matter who you play, if you can’t dominate up front and you don’t get good ball then you will make life tough for yourself.

“We are also working very hard on our defence, so any team who want to play an expansive game [like the Lions], then we have to be on top of our game [defensively] to ensure there are no gaps.

“We are also working very hard at in turning our defence into attack.”

Despite his team’s inconsistent form, Lions coach Hans Coetzee believe his team still has a very good chance of reaching the lay-offs.

“You have to win your home games in the Currie Cup to be a semifinal contender in the competition, so we have to come good against the Blue Bulls,” Coetzee said.

“It’s never easy defeating the Bulls, but we’re confident of our chances at home. We have not played our best rugby in the last few weeks and we know we have to be at our best to defeat them.”

rugby365 Prediction: You will probably get good odds if you want to wager a few cents on the Lions, but the wise money will remain on the Bulls. They appear to have overcome the two defeats – against the Sharks and Cheetahs – in the first half of the season and a confident Bulls team is a dangerous animal. We believe the Bulls just have that extra edge and with these two teams there is never really a ‘home ground advantage’. The Bulls to win – by 10 to 15 points.

Teams:

Golden Lions: 15 Earl Lewis, 14 Dusty Noble, 13 Alwyn Hollenbach, 12 Pieter Engelbrecht, 11 Johan  Jackson, 10 Herkie Kruger, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem  Alberts, 7 Franco  van der Merwe, 6 Cobus  Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Nico Luus, 3 Gert Muller, 2 Hans van Dyk, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Derek Harwood, 17 Kevin Buys, 18 Johan Snyman, 19 Todd Clever, 20 Derick Minnie, 21 Doppies la Grange, 22 Ruan  Boshoff.

Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Marius Delport, 10 Burton Francis, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Dewald Potgieter, 7 Pedrie Wannenburg, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuün (captain), 1 Jaco Engels.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Frik Kirsten/Dean Greyling, 18 Fudge Mabeta, 19 Jacques Burger, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Tiger Mangweni.

Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referee: François Veldsman, Peet Badenhorst
TMO: Johann Meuwesen