Teams (click to see)
Team News – A short discussion of the teams picked
Leopards
Die groot Namibiër Aranos Coetzee en drie ander Luiperds maak Vrydagaand in Rustenburg hul Curriebekerbuiging vir die Luiperds teen die Leeus. Die vleuel Deon Scholtz en flank Victor Joubert is in die beginspan en Coetzee en die senter Kempie Rautenbach op die bank.
Joubert is ‘n voormalige laerskole Luiperds Cravenweekkaptein van die Arende af en Scholtz het verlede jaar Curriebekerrugby vir die Boland gespeel.
Coetzee en Rautenbach – albei Puk-produkte – speel hul eerste eersterangse wedstryde. Coetzee is ‘n blok van ‘n vaskop wat bykans 130 weeg en al 220 gebench het.
Die keuse om die Luiperds se skrum te anker het op die Springbokstoeier Philip Lemmer geval. Hy sak saam met Gavin Williamson en Divan Kotzé in die Luiperds se voorry.
Joubert is as baljagter saam met die kaptein Palm Koch en die agtsteman RW Kember as die lostrio gekies.
Russell Jeacocks, wat ook as binnesenter oorweeg is, is uiteindelik as heelagter gekies met Neill Jacobs in die nommer 12-trui langs die losskakel Cecil Dumond.
Die skrumskakel Michael Bondesio en die vleuel Deon Scholtz is die Luiperds se vernaamste aanvalswapens. Dit was blykbaar hittete of Clayton Durand is fiks verklaar vir die stryd.
Die slot Draad Linde is ook in die groep ingesluit nadat hy van ‘n enkelbesering herstel het.
Golden Lions
More to follow
Blue Bulls
Experienced hooker Gary Botha is back at the helm of the Vodacom Blue Bulls for their 2010 Currie Cup campaign.
Botha was last in charge of the team in 2006 and will lead them on the field at Loftus Versfeld on Friday when the Blue Bulls start their defence of the Currie Cup against the Pumas.
He is one of three Springboks starting the match and although there are no new faces in the run-on side, replacements Bees Roux, CJ Stander, Danie Faasen and Hayden Groepes will all make Currie Cup debuts for the Blue Bulls.
Roux played for Griquas and Groepes for Boland last season, while Stander and Faasen are part of the Bulls youth structure and will play at this level for the first time.
Jaco van der Westhuyzen (Japan) and Juandré Kruger (England) is back after a couple of seasons abroad and Jacques-Louis Potgieter dons the Light Blue again after two seasons with the Free State.
The Bulls try scoring machine in Super 14, Gerhard van den Heever, is back for duty after recovering from a hamstring injury and will play on the wing with stalwart John Mametsa.
Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said he expects a big effort from the Pumas and that his troops will be ready.
“They have showed in the Vodacom Cup and in the friendly against the Lions that they are a well-oiled machine.
Jimmy Stonehouse is a good coach who came out of our structures. His players are well-drilled, fit and do the basics well. They will definitely be a challenge for us and it will be a tough real Currie Cup game. It certainly won’t be easy.”
Pumas
Verrassing 1: Du-Wayne Smart op regtervleuel. Verrassing 2: Jevon Botha op binnesenter. Verrassing 3: Shaun Venter op linkervleuel. Verrassing 4: Tian Meyer op skrumskakel. Verrassing 5: Junior Bester op agtsteman. Verrassing 6: Eduan van der Walt as oopkantflank. Verrassing 7: Dawie Steyn as loskopstut.
Verrassing was die gepaste word toe Jimmy Stonehouse sy Pumaspan Dinsdag bekendgemaak het wat Vrydagaand op Loftus Versfeld met die Blou Bulle kragte meet.
Die eerste verrassings was die keuse van die vleuels, Smart en Venter, bo Allister Kettledas, verlede jaar se driedruk-koning.
Die volgende verrassing is die keuse van Botha bo Siviwe Magaba op binnesenter, en die van die skrumskakel Tian Meyer bo die Leeu Jacques Coetzee.
Dan rek die oë met die insluiting van Junior Bester bo Doppies le Roux en die keuse van Eduan van der Walt op sewe met jaco Bouwer nie eens in die groep nie.
En dan is Ronnie Uys met op die bank en Dee-Jay Terblanche nie eens in die 22 nie nadat hy die afgelope ruk groot hand opgesteek het. Terblanche en Saag Kruger is die twee ongelukkigstes om nie gekies te word nie.
Griquas
Die Ikey Matthew Rosslee is die jongste diamant wat die Griekwa-afrigter Dawie Theron in Kimberley ontgin het. Die Ikey-losskakel begin Saterdag teen die Sharks op binnesenter vir die Publoues.
Rosslee, wat die Westelike Provinsie en die SA Studente verlede jaar verteenwoordig het, is ook ‘n bruikbare stelskopper wat vir naas Olivier en Riaan Viljoen kan instaan.
Rosslee en die Waratahs-slot Hendrik Roodt, die agtsteman Leon Karemaker, die vaskop Jacobie Adriaanse en die vleuel Rocco Jansen asook die reserwes Gerhard Human, Frikkie Spies en Marnus Hugo maak hul Curriebekerbuigings teen die Sharks.
Theron was konserwatief in sy spankeuses en net Jansen is ingetrek om die beseerde Dewald Pretorius te vervang.
Theron sal Donderdag ‘n finale besluit tussen die vaskoppe Adriaanse en Albertus Buckle maak.
Sharks
More to follow
Free State Cheetahs
More to follow
Western Province
More to follow
Blue Bulls fielding a strong side, even though 11 Bulls are with the Bokke.
I perceive a weakness at No 5 lock (I don’t rate Fudge Mabeta) but luckily Juandre Kruger is on the bench.
Will be interesting to see 2 traditional fetchers going together at No 6 and 7…. to my mind the balance is a bit wrong playing 2 fetchers simultaneously.
Solid back 3 with John Mametsa back, who will let no team down…. centres are a bit iffy though… I hope the 2 Stephans step up this Currie Cup, so much was expected of Watermyer at junior level.
Ruan Snyman at scrummie is solid and can grow into a very able scrummie… and Jacques-Louis Potgieter should handle the pivot position well enough… time for him to develop and shine at the Bulls with a regular flyhalf starting berth. Luckily Francois Brummer is on the bench to cover flyhalf as well. At Flyhalf the Bulls still have 2 of the best that the Currie Cup will offer.
The Blue Bulls immediate opponents, the Pumas, field an unusual side but a couple now have Super 14 experience and they are always a gritty team…. just think that the Bulls will still be too much for them.
Griquas have a strong backline, with Viljoen and Bjorn Basson both having tasted Springbok honours and Sarel Pretorius a very able scrummie. The forwards however don’t inspire much, however we know that Kwas always produce hard working forwards.
The Sharks look like a composed side, possibly a bit light in the front row and mediocre in the locks, but they field probably the best Loosie combo in the Currie Cup. Scrummie is no problem, flyhalf is a bit iffy, centre’s are OK’ish…. and the back 3 are solid.
I think the Sharks will have too much ammo for the Kwas…. but hey the Kwas have surprised many times before!
The Lions…. well they look somewhat better than the Super 14 side and I think Mitchell might just squeeze more out of the Vodacom Cup quality side to bring them up a bit to Currie Cup quality. The Leopards are’nt exactly the toughest opposition to measure the Lions and the Lions should win comfortably.
Province against the Cheetahs, probably the match of the weekend, with WP’s forwards strongly resembling the Super 14 forwards pack… but the backline is a worry, 6 changes from the regular Super 14 backline, with a couple of oldies and an over the hill Jantjes at the back.
Cheetahs will be hungry after ending the Super 14 well.
Still an interesting tussle though and it’s difficult to predict a winner.