With some background and team info  from the plonkers at rugby365…

Rugby365, Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:19

And the dream continues. Yes, Griquas remain unbeaten – with the Free State Cheetahs, Golden Lions and Western Province among their victims this season.

Now Griquas coach Dawie Theron will be hoping that his team continue their undefeated run in the Currie Cup competition when they host the Blue Bulls in Kimberley on Saturday.

The Kimberley side, who is captained by Jonathan Mokuena and are currently on 23 points after five matches, have been coming along in leaps and bounds this season.

No longer are they talked in terms of ‘minnows’ or ‘giant killers’. Griquas are real contenders.

There’s plenty of action this weekend, starting with Friday’s encounter between the winless Leopards and a revitalised Free State Cheetahs outfit in Potchefstroom.

Saturday we have Griquas hosting the Blue Bulls and then the Boland Cavaliers against Western Province in the Western Cape derby in Wellington.

The weekend’s drama is concluded when the Sharks travel to Johannesburg to face an erratic Golden Lions team.

rugby365 looks at all the weekend’s action!

Friday, August 14:

Leopards v Free State Cheetahs
(Olën Park, Potchefstroom – Kick-off: 19.10, 17.10 GMT)

Despite facing a severely depleted Leopards team, Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské is taking nothing for granted. He wants his team to go for the jugular.

The hosts will be missing several first-choice players – such as regular captain Wilhelm Koch, who is out with a fractured toe, as well as wing Jan van Zyl (ankle), scrumhalf Michael Bondesio (concussion), hooker Pellow van der Westhuizen (back) and star centre Deon van Rensburg (hamstring).

However, there will be no sympathy from the Bloemfontein side, who achieved their first win of the season last Saturday.

However, the four previous defeats mean there is precious little margin for error. In fact, a bonus-point victory is non negotiable.

“Our season is by no means over, but it’s vital that we get the points against the Leopards on Friday,” Drotské said.

“We need to continue our momentum from where we left off against the Blue Bulls and if we can score four tries this weekend and get the five points, we’ll be right back in contention.”

Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss had a similar message for the Leopards, who have found live in the big league hard to cope with.

“We are in a situation where we can no longer decide that one game is more important than the other – every game is a must win,” Strauss said.

The Bok hooker, Strauss, said the win last week gave the players the confidence that lacked in some of the earlier rounds and they will be looking to kick on.

“We will look to improve on our finishing,” he said, adding that a four-try bonus point is the absolute minimum.

rugby365 prediction: There is little doubt that the Leopards are going to lose. The question is by how much. This may well be the men from Potchefstroom’s biggest defeat of the season. The Cheetahs to win by 25 points or more.

Teams:

Leopards: 15 Russell Jeacocks; 14 Jovan Bowles, 13 Basil de Doncker, 12 Berndt Theissinger, 11 Danie Dames; 10 Clayton Durand, 9 Theo van Wyk; 8 RW Kember, 7 Bennie Adams, 6 André Swanepoel (captain), 5 Edrich Linde, 4 Rudi Mathee, 3 Os van der Walt, 2 Gavin Williamson, 1 Divan Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Philip Lemmer, 17 Nardus Lombard, 18 Anthonie Gronum, 19 Rynard Landman, 20 Chris Erasmus, 21 Muhammed Samaai, 22 Cecil Dumont.

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

Referee: Phillip Bosch
Assistant referees: François Veldsman, Madel Herselman

Saturday, August 15:

Boland v Western Province
(Boland Stadium, Wellington – Kick-off: 15.00, 13.00 GMT)

Western Province coach Allister Coetzee this week a potential ‘banana peel’. He has reason to be concerned.

Boland, traditionally, bring their ‘A-Game’ for this Western Cape derby.

And while on occasion they win, there is seldom a big margin.

Province know the dangers of travelling to the cabbage patch that is called the Boland Stadium.

However, it is not just the venue that is perilous. The fervour with which the Cavaliers play in these meetings means if the WP players are just slightly off their game they could be in deep trouble.

The hosts are in search of their second win in this season’s competition – having beaten the Leopards in Week One and losing everything since.

But that matter not to Province, who are currently in third place on the Premier Division standings.

“It is going to be a challenge for us in Wellington,” said Coetzee.

“But going to Wellington has been a banana peel all these years for us

“We cannot go there and take them lightly. It doesn’t matter how many players are injured in that Boland side. Whoever puts on that Boland jersey will come out and show us that they are ready.”

WP captain Luke Watson emphasized that it was important to secure a victory, before even thinking about going for a bonus point.

“Boland are capable of rattling cages, because they spoil at the set-pieces and don’t play with a lot of structure,” Watson said.

“You have to consider the conditions and momentum of the game, but I think it would be prudent to go for poles early on and build an innings this weekend.”

rugby365 prediction: As Watson said, if Western Province ‘build an innings’ – go for early points and put some distance between them and the home team on the scoreboard – WP will get a valuable win. Western Province to win comfortably – by 15 points or more.

Teams:

Boland: 15 Justin Peach, 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 Hein Myburgh, 12 Lionel Cornelius, 11 Ernie Kruger, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Junior Bester, 7 Carel Hoffman, 6 Zolani Mofu, 5 Rito Hlungwane, 4 Nico Esterhuyse, 3 Kobie Adriaanse, 2 Clemen Lewis (captain), 1 Janro van Niekerk.
Replacements: 16 Harry Vermaas, 17 Jané du Toit, 18 Frikkie Spies, 19 André du Toit, 20 Danie van der Merwe, 21 Mark Harris, 22 Llewellyn Adonis.

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

Referee: Marius Jonker
Assistant referee: Luke Burger, Reuben Rossouw

Griquas v Bulls
(GWK Stadium, Kimberley – Kick-off: 15.00, 13.00 GMT)

Griquas coach Dawie Theron has been good at keeping his players’ feet on the ground and focussed on the next game.

And he was at it this week again, making sure they see the bigger picture and don’t get caught up in the hype of their unbeaten run.

“We have actually achieved nothing yet in this season’s Currie Cup competition,” Theron said of the side’s five-from-five record.

“However, victory against the Blue Bulls will go a long way in ensuring that we reach some of our pre-season goals later in the competition,” Theron said of their dream of a rare play-off appearance.

“I was very satisfied with the performance of the guys and the guts they showed against Western Province last week and I can only hope that they carry on with that kind of confidence against the Blue Bulls on Saturday.

“Playing the Blue Bulls is never easy and you always have to be at your best against them.

“But the guys believe in what we are doing, so we look forward to the opportunity of testing ourselves against them.”

The Bulls have not won away from home this season – with defeats to the Sharks and Cheetahs on the road.

That, a win on the road, is one of the key goals for Bulls captain Derick Kuün.

“We simply have to win this one,” Kuün said.

“On our other away games [against the Sharks and Cheetahs] we looked in control of the matches, but let it slip in the latter stages.

“We simply can’t afford to make the same mistakes.

“Griquas have great momentum and they are never easy to beat on their home ground.

However, we had some honest discussions this week and the players know exactly how important it is that we come away from Kimberley with a win.”

rugby365 prediction: You bet against the Blue Bulls at your own peril, but this game is in Kimberley against a red-hot Griquas team. That alone makes it just as tough ignore Griquas’ prospects of victory. We do have the option of a calling it a draw, but we have never been fence sitters and feel the dream run will continue. Griquas to sneak a win, by less than 10 points.

Teams:

Griquas: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Egon Seconds, 13 Jaco Bekker, 12 Barry Geel, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Jonathan Mokuena (captain), 7 Davon Raubenheimer, 6 Rohan Kitshoff, 5 Jacques Lombard, 4 Nolan Clark, 3 Ruaan du Preez, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Steph Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Andries Kruger/Rayno Barnes, 17 Albertus Buckle/Zane Killian, 18 Brendon Snyman/Heinrich Stride, 19 Sean Plaatjies, 20 Dougie Helmuth, 21 Trompie Nontshinga, 22 Gavin Passens.

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

Referee: Willie Roos
Assistant referees: Matt Kemp, Marc van Zyl
TMO: Michael Cupido

Lions v Sharks
(Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 17.05, 15.05 GMT)

The Sharks are on a roll, having bounced back from their First Round defeat with four successive victories and the defending champions are handily placed in second position.

Not surprising that Lions coach Hans Coetzee was a bit apprehensive when discussing his team’s prospects, considering he used a few games to experiment – something he feels may place his team at a disadvantage.

“It [the experimental nature of some of the teams they fielded] may be a problem, we’ll have to see,” Coetzee said, when asked if he has had enough time to gel his team into a unit ahead of thus crunch match.

Coetzee pointed out that with the odd exception – wing Henno Mentz and centre Doppies la Grange – he fielded his first-choice XV in the opening round against the Bulls.

“We needed to look at some other players, but we’ve known all along what our preferred choices are,” the Lions said, adding that he would have like to be in a better position.

He said the one key are of his team’s game that is lacking is finishing.

“You don’t get many opportunities in tight games and we worked on our finishing,” he said of the build-up to the Sharks showdown.

The Lions’ set pieces have been a mixed bag this year, with Coetzee declaring himself satisfied with the scrums, but admitted the line-outs have not been that great in the last two games.

However, with retired Springboks Marius Hurter, the team’s forwards coach, and Balie Swart helping out, they will be able to challenge the Sharks’ scrums.

The one reason why Coetzee has focussed on the set pieces, is because he believes the Sharks will look to disrupt their set piece and dominate up front.

And then they have been playing a more expansive game than what was on show in the Super 14.

“They like to give the ball a bit more air,” Coetzee said, when asked what he expects the Sharks to throw at his team.

The Lions, despite losing two of five outings this season, still pose a major threat according to Sharks technical advisor Deon Kayser.

“The Lions will provide us with another big challenge. They have quality in players like Willem Alberts and Jano Vermaak and it is a bit difficult to plan against them because they keep making big selection changes each week,” said Kayser.

“We can’t underestimate them, they’re a Super 14 franchise and it is an away game for us. It is never easy against one of the bigger unions.”

rugby365 prediction: The Lions are likely to pay for fielding an unsettled team and some of those experiments may well come back to haunt the Lions coaching staff. The Sharks have plenty of class in their side, but won’t have it all their own way. They will sneak it at the end. The Sharks by 10 points.

Teams:

Golden Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Dusty Noble, 13 Alwyn Hollenbach, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Henno Mentz, 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 Wouter Moore, 19 Todd Clever, 20 Derek Minnie, 21 Pieter Engelbrecht, 22 Ruan Boshoff.

The Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche (captain), 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Andries Strauss, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Monty Dumond, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Albert van den Berg, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Skipper Badenhorst, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Michael Rhodes, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Ross Cronjé, 21 Guy Cronjé, 22 Waylon Murray.

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Assistant referee: Mtheleni Msileni, Cobus Wessels
TMO: Shaun Veldsman