The Blue Bulls travel to Bloemfontein where they have to tough task of trying to get their Currie Cup campaign back on track against the resurgent Free State Cheetahs.

The Blue Bulls linger in sixth position on the Currie Cup Premier Division log and will have to get back on the winning track if they are not going to miss out on the play-offs for the first time in 10 years.

On Friday evening, the Golden Lions host the GWK Griquas and will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the table, but it won’t be easy against a team that have been playing good rugby this season.

Saturday’s first two games see the Pumas travel to Durban to face The Sharks and Western Province host the Platinum Leopards in Cape Town.

The front runners in the Currie Cup First Division, EP Kings and the Regent Boland Cavaliers, are on the road this weekend.

Golden Lions vs GWK Griquas

The Golden Lions will try and keep their foot on the accelerator when they face the GWK Griquas at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Friday evening.

With seven victories thus far in the Premier Division, the Golden Lions top the log and if they can keep that winning momentum going, they could host an Currie Cup semi-final for the first time since 1999, which is also the last time they won the coveted golden trophy.

Golden Lions assistant coach Johan Ackermann, a member of the Lions squad in 1999, said there are a lot of similarities between their squad in 1999 and this year, but that it’s still too early to start predicting who will finish where on the Currie Cup log.

“We’re definitely not looking that far ahead yet, ” said Ackermann.

“Home ground advantage in a semi-final can be very handy, but we’ll only start looking at possible permutations later in the season. For now we’ve got a difficult game ahead against a Griquas side that can topple any team on any given day.

“I’ve played there as well and know that they always play with great character. In Abré Minnie and Pote Human they have two very good coaches, so we’re getting ready for a big onslaught from Griquas on Friday evening. ”

Golden Lions vs GWK Griquas
Date: Friday, 9 September
Kick-off: 19:00
Venue: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Last three games in Currie Cup:
– 24 July 2010: GWK Griquas won 26-20 in Kimberley
– 11 September 2010: Golden Lions won 40-29 in Johannesburg
– 23 July 2011: Golden Lions won 49-11 in Kimberley

The Sharks vs Pumas

Even though his team won an entertaining match at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, Sharks coach John Plumtree will be looking for an improvement on attack when they host the Pumas at Mr Price Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

“We’re not as structured and disciplined on attack as we’d like to be, ” Plumtree said after his team were outscored by four tries to three against the Blue Bulls.

“Just when we got something going last week, the Bulls would give away a penalty and while we looked quite dangerous from turn-over ball and some of the tries we scored were really good, we don’t feel like we’re there yet. ”

In their match against the Pumas earlier in the season in Nelspruit, The Sharks had to work very hard for victory and Plumtree said he’s hoping his players will have the right attitude on Saturday.

“Hopefully they’ve grown as a group and will show maturity and respect for the opposition, ” he said while stressing the importance of winning at home.

“If you can win all your home games in this competition then you give yourself the chance to push for a home semi and possible a home final as well. We’re taking it one game at a time really because we’ve felt like we haven’t really got our game going. ”

The Sharks vs Pumas
Date: Saturday, 10 September 2011
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Mr Price Kings Park, Durban
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Last three games in Currie Cup:
– 23 July 2010: The Sharks won 27-17 in Durban
– 10 September 2010: The Sharks won 14-30 in Witbank
– 22 July 2011: The Sharks won 23-22 in Nelspruit

Western Province vs Platinum Leopards

Western Province are expecting a Platinum Leopards team desperate for only their second Currie Cup victory this season when these two teams meet at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.

Leopards coach Leon Boshoff has decided to shuffle his team quite a bit in an effort to rest certain players, but also to give some of his fringe squad members an opportunity to get some valuable game time.

WP assistant coach Matt Proudfoot, who earlier in his coaching career worked in Potchefstroom, said: “We are expecting a side that will be desperate for a win. They have made a few changes so they will be looking for improvement.

“I’ve coached many of their players so I know that they will throw everything they have at us. We are expecting it to be very tough physically as well as at the set piece where they will probably look to rattle us a bit. ”

With Demetri Catrakilis out injured, Isma-eel Dollie, a former Emerging Springbok, will start at flyhalf for WP.

In the Platinum Leopards team, Boshoff has decided to rest players like their captain Morné Hanekom, Joubert Engelbrecht, Brendon Snyman and BG Uys, giving Robert Kruger, Snoepie Coetzee and Hennie Skorbinski their first starts in the Currie Cup this season.

Western Province vs Platinum Leopards
Date: Saturday, 10 September 2011
Kick-off: 16:00
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Referee: Sindile Mayende
Last three games in Currie Cup:
– 23 July 2010: WP won 42-23 in Potchefstroom
– 11 September 2010: WP won 59-17 in Cape Town
– 22 July 2011: WP won 47-9 in Potchefstroom

Free State Cheetahs vs Blue Bulls

Victory in Bloemfontein is paramount as the Blue Bulls, the most successful team in Currie Cup in the last decade, aim to improve their position on the log as the playoffs inch closer.

It’s been almost three years since the Blue Bulls last beat the Free State Cheetahs in an Currie Cup match at the Free State Stadium. That happened on 20 September 2008, when the team from Pretoria won by 23-5. Six players from that win, Zane Kirchner, Akona Ndungane, Wynand Olivier, Dewald Potgieter, Juandré Kruger and Werner Kruger, will play again this weekend.

Four Cheetah “survivors ” from 2008 have been included in their match 22 for Saturday – Adriaan Strauss, Coenie Oosthuizen, Robert Ebersohn and Tewis de Bruyn.

Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar, who was still involved in Free State rugby in 2008, knows his team will have to lift their game in the coming weeks.

“There is no doubt that we have painted ourselves in a corner with regards to our play-off hopes, ” Pienaar said.

“We need to win and keep on winning, but for that we will have to improve on our decision-making, discipline and execution. We have the quality of players to turn it around, but is running out of time. ”

Two players that were part of the SA Under-20 squad earlier this year, will line up against each other. The Free State Cheetahs have selected flyhalf Johan Goosen, while inside centre Francois Venter will start for the Blue Bulls.

Free State Cheetahs vs Blue Bulls
Date: Saturday, 10 September
Kick-off: 17:05
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Referee: Marius Jonker
Last three games in Currie Cup:
– 24 July 2010: FS Cheetahs won 25-23 in Pretoria
– 11 September 2010: FS Cheetahs won 20-14 in Bloemfontein
– 23 July 2011: Blue Bulls won 33-30 in Pretoria

Currie Cup First Division

Two two teams at the top of the log in the Currie Cup First Division, EP Kings and the Boland Cavaliers, are both on the road this weekend.

EP travel to Welkom to face the Griffons, where they lost a year ago, while the Cavaliers are away to the Valke in Kempton Park. Both these games are scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 15:00.

The unbeaten EP Kings top the First Division log with 33 points after seven games, while Boland have 31 points, also after seven games. At this stage of the season, these two teams look set to finish in the top two positions on the log, thereby securing themselves home ground advantage in the semi-finals.

In the first game of the weekend, on Friday afternoon in the Buffalo City Stadium, the Border Bulldogs will be looking to win their first game against the SWD Eagles since 19 September 2008, when the team from East London won by 37-33.

Weekend matches:

Border Bulldogs vs SWD Eagles
Date: Friday, 9 September
Kick-off: 17:05
Venue: Buffalo City Stadium, East London
Referee: Rasta Rashivenga
Last three games in Currie Cup First Division:
– 23 July 2010: SWD won 33-12 in George
– 3 September 2010: SWD won 17-7 in East London
– 29 July 2011: SWD won 46-35 in George

Valke vs Boland Cavaliers
Date: Saturday, 10 September
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Referee: Stuart Berry
Last three games in Currie Cup First Division:
– 24 July 2010: Boland won 53-10 in Kempton Park
– 3 September 2010: Boland won 41-21 in Wellington
– 29 July 2011: Boland won 52-10 in Wellington

Griffons vs EP Kings
Date: Saturday, 10 September
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: North West Stadium, Welkom
Referee: Pro Legoete
Last three games in Currie Cup First Division:
– 23 July 2010: EP Kings won 26-25 in Port Elizabeth
– 3 September 2010: Griffons won 27-18 in Welkom
– 29 July 2011: EP Kings won 67-26 in Port Elizabeth