Currie Cup predictions

Blue Bulls to face WP with their first ever English-speaking captain, Sharks to take on the ever prickly Griquas, and Lions bench Jantjies for Cheetahs. All the teams, times, refs and predictions.

Tank Lanning

Super Rugby is done and dusted, and with a week to go before the Rugby Championship begins, one could be forgiven for taking a week off. But it is time for South Africa’s grand old dame to shine, and with only 3 games to negotiate, the pink ticket collection is not too strenuous. Also quite fun in terms of looking at not only the new scrum laws, but also the young talent …

Friday 09 August

19:10 Sharks vs Griquas, Kings Park, Durban

Referee: Jason Jaftha

Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge, Reuben Rossouw

Television match official: Willie Roos

Past results and stats count for little at the start of a new season, but one cannot argue the fact that Griquas – the only side in the competition that is not a fully-fledged Super Rugby franchise – while on the up and able to beat any of the 5 sides on their day, have been bottom feeders in the strength vs strength version of the tournament. Last year they came 5th, and in the last 7 years they have come no higher than 5th or 6th in the tournament. Notorious for starting well, and able to cause big upsets, they just do not have the depth to follow through. But this is game one of the season, and with two Springbok forwards, prop Lourens Adriaanse and lock Hilton Lobberts, in their ranks, they will be as confident as any team of causing an upset against a Sharks team now being guided by Brendan Venter. Even at Kings Park. But it is a tall order with only a handful of players back from the Cheetahs after the Super Rugby season. Especially against a side that topped the Currie Cup log last year, and were a little unfortunate to lose out to Western Province in the final. With the likes of Craig Burden, Tera Mtembu, and Cobus Reinach only able to make the Sharks bench, and plenty Springboks amongst the starting XV including captain Keegan Daniel and flyhalf Butch James, I see the game being close for the first half, but then the Sharks coming good at home in the second half.

My prediction: Sharks by 9

Sharks: 15 Odwa Ndungane, 14 Sizo Maseko, 13 Louis Ludik, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Butch James, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Brynard Stander, 5 Marco Wentzel, 4 Edwin Hewitt, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Dale Chadwick.

Bench: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Peet Marais, 19 Tera Mtembu, 20 Cobus Reinach, 21 Fred Zeilinga, 22 Jaco van Tonder.

Griquas: 15 Gouws Prinsloo, 14 Nico Scheepers, 13 JP Nel, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 PJ Vermeulen, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Burger Schoeman, 7 Jaco Nepgen, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Rynard Landman, 4 Hilton Lobberts, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Ryno Barnes (captain), 1 Steph Roberts.

Bench: 16 Matt Dobson, 17 Nick Schonert, 18 Jonathan Adendorf, 19 Carel Greeff, 20 Marnus Hugo, 21 Du Randt Gerber, 22 Rocco Jansen.

Saturday 10 August

15:00 Lions vs Free State, Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Cobus Wessels

Television match official: Shaun Veldsman

Oh how things have changed! Last year the Lions were desperately unlucky to lose to Western Province in the Currie Cup semi-final after ending second on the log, while the Cheetahs were only able to win three games in the tournament and ended below the Griquas on the log. A mere 9 months later and the Cheetahs have recently played in a Super Rugby quarter final while the Lions have had to scrape their way back into Super Rugby via 2 tough physical games against the Kings over the last 2 weeks. The Cheetahs have lost an entire front row, though, and massive game influencers in Heinrich Brussow and Willie le Roux, yet still manage to have Springbok Piet van Zyl on the bench, perhaps an indication of the depth they have now built in Bloemfontein. This while the Lions contemplate life after skipper and scrumming sensation JC Janse van Rensberg, who has gone to play in France, and with flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff at the helm, having dropped Elton Jantjies to the bench. How will the Lions cope with a return to a this time empty Ellis Park after the high of getting back into Super Rugby at a packed stadium last week? I think reality will bite.

My prediction: Free State by 7

Lions: 15 Chrysander Botha, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Nicolaas Hanekom, 12 Dylan des Fountain, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Guy Cronje, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Derick Minnie (captain), 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Stephan Greeff, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Martin Bezuidenhout, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.

Bench: 16 Francois du Toit, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Lambert Groenewald, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Elton Jantjies, 22 Lionel Cronje/Robert de Bruyn.

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Riaan Smit, 13 Johan Sadie, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Johannes Prinsloo (captain), 5 Waltie Vermeulen, 4 Lodewyk de Jager, 3 Jon-Roy Jenkinson, 2 Hercu Liebenberg, 1 Caylib Oosthuizen.

Bench: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, Wian du Preez, 18 Teboho Mohoje, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Joubert Engelbrecht, 22 Piet Lindeque.

17:05 Western Province vs Blue Bulls, Newlands, Cape Town

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

Assistant referees: Lusanda Jam, Marc van Zyl

Television match official: Deon van Blommestein

Mere weeks after the Stormers hammered the Bulls at Newlands to put pay to the visitor’s hopes of hosting a Super Rugby final, and to my mind, any hope of taking home the silverware, so the two sides met again at the same venue, as WP and the Blue Bulls. Is there any evidence to suggest a different outcome? Eben Etzebeth and Duane Vermeulen did not play in that game, so WP will miss Bryan Habana, Jean de Villers and Juan de Jongh, with the big blow being the centre pairing. But on the other side of the field, the Bulls miss not only their centre pairing of Jan Serfontein and JJ Engelbrecht, but also half backs Jano Vermaak, Francois Hougaard and Morne Steyn. WP are also defending champions, and while without doubt a little lucky to carry that mantle, they certainly looked to embrace a more attacking game plan in the Currie Cup last year. And with the likes of the electric Cheslin Kolbe and Gio Aplon out wide, a similar game plan might see this home side explode onto the Currie Cup scene. Captained for the first time ever in the Currie Cup by an English speaking player, this Bulls side looks a tad experimental, and might take some time to find their feet.

My prediction: WP by 9

Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Pat Howard, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Gerbrandt Grobler, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Bench: 16 Alistair Vermaak, 17 Pat Cilliers, 18 Michael Rhodes, 19 Ruan Kitshoff, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Kurt Coleman, 22 Berton Klaasen.

Blue Bulls: 15 Jürgen Visser, 14 Sampie Mastriet, 13 Ulrich Beyers, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Travis Ismaiel, 10 Tony Jantjies, 9 Rudi Paige, 8 Jono Ross (captain), 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Wiaan Liebenberg, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Frik Kirsten, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Morné Mellet.

Bench: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Marcell van der Merwe, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Jean Cook, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Waylon Murray, 22 Clayton Blommetjies.