It’s final time baby …

So after countless 7 game weekends which meant days of washing up, tea’s with aunty Maizy, looking after junior every Wednesday while the missus discussed 42 000 shades of grey with her horny book club winos, and family dinners round the table with forced “Meaningful” conversation, just so you could get a pink ticket to watch your team play, it comes down to a seemingly meagre 80 minutes in Hamilton at 09h30 this Saturday!

In a ludicrous travel schedule, the Sharks will have spent the better part of 8 days in a massive toothpaste tube getting through over 50 000 km’s by the time they land in Durban on Monday – only to have to head to Cape Town for their first Currie Cup game of the year. Can they do the almost unthinkable and bring the Super Rugby trophy back to Durban by beating the Chiefs?

Well, if form has anything to do with it, they can … After crushing the Bulls (32-10) and the Cheetahs (34-15) in their final two league matches, they beat the Reds in Brisbane in a tough qualifier (30-17) before being too good for the Stormers in last weekend’s semi-final in Cape Town (26-19). Now they just need to add one more top class performance to this streak …

The Waikato Stadium in Hamilton will host its first Super Rugby Final on Saturday when a new champion will be crowned. Thus far, the Chiefs (once) and The Sharks (three times) have only been runners up, but this weekend it will change for one of these two teams.

The Chiefs have been the form team of the tournament, and after losing their last two league games, they returned to form in their semi-final to take out the “Super Saders”. They have not lost at home to South African opposition since 2010, and this year they have won all their games against South African teams, including a 18-12 win over the Sharks in Durban. Six players from the home team are back from the last time they played in a Final – in 2009: Sona Taumalolo, Craig Clarke, Liam Messam, Tanerau Latimer, Hika Elliot and Lelia Masaga were all on the losing side as the Bulls smashed them 61-17.

On de udder hand, Darren, since losing to the their opponents on Saturday in Round 9, The Sharks have won eight of their last nine matches. Their last victory at Waikato Stadium, though, was in 2009. Five Sharks players in action on Saturday have felt the same kind of pain the Chiefs felt in their 2009 final, when the Bulls beat them 20-19 in 2007’s final in Durban – JP Pietersen, Ryan Kankowski, Jacques Botes, Bismarck du Plessis and Tendai Mtawarira.

As said during the week, the Sharks seem to have really embraced  their insane travel schedule – arriving in Cape town a day earlier than they normally do last week, and this week spending time in a resort they like in Sydney before crossing the Tasman.

The Chiefs will be an altogether tougher side to conquer than the Reds and Stormers, though – being at home and not having to travel is an obvious plus, but they are also a side with the capability to attack with pace, power and skill from almost anywhere. They have the form half back pairing in the tournament, a loosehead prop who has scored more tries than the entire Stormers team, and an inside centre who has completely changed the way rugby is played.

With Tim Whitehead missing out due to a hand injury, young Paul Jordaan takes charge of defending the Sonny Bill Williams channel, and it is here that I think the game will be won or lost. But I use the word “Channel” as in defending SBW, it is often about what happens outside him that counts the most. Commit too many players to SBW, and the space created, together with his incredible ability to offload in the tackle, becomes almost impossible to defend.

So McLoed, Michalak, Jordaan and Pietersen – as a defensive unit – will not only have to keep SBW in check, but perhaps more importantly, put the Chiefs under pressure via the kind of attack that we have seen from the Sharks recently. Go into this game with a defensive mindset, and they will make like the Stormers and chase the game …

The other cooler box emptying matchup, and potential match decider, is that one between Coetzee and Messam. Influenced by many factors, none more so than the ability of the tight five to provide the initial go forward, the breakdown is going to be monumentally important, and one just has to hope that Steve Walsh officiates this fairly …

Sportingbet will give you 4/9 on the Chiefs and 9/4 on the Sharks – definitely worth a dabble on the Sharks at those odds! They will also give you 22/1 on Sono Taumalolo to score the first try … I will definitely be putting a few bob on that … CLICK HERE to put your money where your mouth is …

Chiefs v The Sharks
Saturday, 4 August, 2012, 09h35
Venue: Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand
Referee: Steve Walsh (Aus)
Assistants: Craig Joubert (SA), Keith Brown (NZ)
TMO: Garratt Williamson

My prediction: Sharks by 3

Chiefs: Robbie Robinson, Tim Nanai-Williams, Andrew Horrell, Sonny Bill Williams, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Kane Thompson, Tanerau Latimer, Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick, Craig Clarke (captain), Ben Tameifuna, Mahonri Schwalger, Sona Taumalolo
Bench: Hika Elliot, Ben Afeaki, Michael Fitzgerald, Sam Cane, Brendon Leonard, Jackson Willison, Lelia Masaga.

Sharks: Pat Lambie, Louis Ludik, JP Pietersen, Paul Jordaan, Lwazi Mvovo, Frederic Michalak, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel (captain), Anton Bresler, Willem Alberts, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira.
Bench: Craig Burden, Wiehahn Herbst, Steven Sykes, Jean Deysel, Jacques Botes, Meyer Bosman, Riaan Viljoen.

Chiefs in Super Rugby playoffs:
Played: 4, Won: 2 (both semi-finals), Lost: 2 (1 semi-final, 1 final)

Sharks in Super Rugby playoffs:
Played: 12, Won: 5 (4 semi-finals, 1 qualifier), Lost: 7 (3 finals, 3 semi-finals and 1 qualifier)

Head to head (since 1998): Played 17: Chiefs 8-7 Sharks

Road to the Final:
 
Chiefs:
R1: lost to Highlanders 19-23 (Hamilton)
R2: beat Blues 29-14 (Hamilton)
R3: beat Crusaders 24-19 (Napier)
R4: beat Brumbies 29-22 (Hamilton)
R5: bye
R6: beat Waratahs 30-13 (Hamilton)
R7: beat Force 20-12 (Perth)
R8: beat Cheetahs 39-33 (Bloemfontein)
R9: beat The Sharks 18-12 (Durban)
R10: beat Hurricanes 33-14 (Hamilton)
R11: beat Lions 34-21 (Pukekohe)
R12: lost to Reds 27-42 (Brisbane)
R13: bye
R14: beat Bulls 28-22 (Hamilton)
R15: beat Blues 41-34 (Auckland)
R16: beat Highlanders 27-21 (Dunedin)
R17: lost to Crusaders 21-28 (Hamilton)
R18: lost to Hurricanes 25-28 (Wellington)
QF: bye
SF: beat Crusaders 20-17 (Hamilton)

The Sharks:
R1: lost to Bulls 13-18 (Pretoria)
R2: lost to Stormers 12-15 (Cape Town)
R3: beat Lions 32-20 (Durban)
R4: beat Reds 27-22 (Durban)
R5: lost to Waratahs 30-34 (Sydney)
R6: beat Brumbies 29-26 (Canberra)
R7: lost to Hurricanes 18-42 (Wellington)
R8: beat Blues 29-23 (Auckland)
R9: lost to Chiefs 12-18 (Durban)
R10: bye
R11: beat Highlanders 28-16 (Durban)
R12: beat Force 53-11 (Durban)
R13: beat Cheetahs 34-20 (Bloemfontein)
R14: beat Stormers 25-20 (Durban)
R15: lost to Lions 28-38 (Johannesburg)
R16: bye
R17: beat Bulls 32-10 (Durban)
R18: beat Cheetahs 34-15 (Durban)
QF: beat Reds 30-17 (Brisbane)
SF: beat DHL Stormers 26-19 (Cape Town)

If the teams are tied at full time, the winner will be decided by:
Extra time of two 10-minute halves with a two-minute halftime;
A 10-minute period of sudden death – first team to score wins;
A kicking competition.

Currie Cup First Division fixtures:

Pumas vs EP
Date: Friday, 3 August, 19:10
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistants: Rasta Rasivhenge, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Johan Greeff

SWD vs Griffons
Date: Friday, 3 August, 19:10
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Referee: Lusanda Jam
Assistants: Christie du Preez, Cobus Wessels

Boland vs Valke
Date: Saturday, 4 August, 14:45
Venue: Boland Park, Worcester
Referee: Matt Kemp
Assistants: Joey Salmans, Linston Manuels
TMO: Deon van Blommenstein

Leopards vs Border
Date: Saturday, 4 August, 19:10
Venue: Profert Olen Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistants: Lesego Legoete, Sieg van Staden

Under 21 fixtures:
 
Friday, August 03 2012:
17:30 – Sharks vs Lions

Saturday, August 04 2012:
11:50 – Free State Cheetahs vs Border
13:00 – Leopards vs Western Province

 And in the Cape we are spoilt for choice for some post Super Rugby entertainment …

Club rugby on Saturday, 4 August:
16:00 BELHAR vs FALSE BAY
16:00 DURB-BELL vs MATIES
16:00 UCT vs HAMILTONS
16:00 VICS vs TYGERBERG

School rugby on Saturday, 4 August:
Paarl Boys vs Paarl Gym
Wynberg vs Bishops
Rondeobosch vs SACS
Paul Roos vs Drostdy

Fill up those cooler boxes, stock up on wood, briquettes and Blitz, pay your DStv subs, get to the butchery before 5 on Friday with a month’s wages, and ENJOY!!

The Sportingbet preview: