- Joined
- Jun 18, 2010
- Messages
- 7,385
- Country Flag
- Club or Nation
We are here! The round that decides everything! Well, not who wins the Currie Cup, but this round will determine who ends where in the standings and which of the 6 teams will be done early. The no. 5 on the log will not play any further matches. No play-offs, no promotion/relegation. The other 5 teams will have 1 or 2 extra matches. Let's see who has the best chances. With this strength-to-strength competition we were promised a tight competition and it has proven to be just that. With only the final round left, only 2 teams know what they can expect. The log-leading Natal Sharks, taking over pole-position from the Golden Lions last weekend, has the best papers to gain home-ground advantage throughout the play-offs and are the only ones with the Lions who are already sure of playing. The no. 3, Western Province, can even end dead last if things don't go their way. The difference in points between Western Province and the Blue Bulls, bottom of the log, is only 2 points. With the top-3 teams playing the bottom-3, everything is possible.
We kick off on Friday night, when the log-leading Natal Sharks host the GWK Griquas. Griquas have been in fine form this season and have been the only team managing to beat the reigning champions Golden Lions twice. Even without a win, Griquas can make the play-offs and there's a slight chance the Sharks and Griquas play each other twice in a row at Kings Park. The match will be a homecoming for several former Sharks-players. Justin Downey, Jean Stemmet, Marnus Hugo, Rocco Jansen, Dusty Noble and Luzuko Vulindlu all played for Natal in their careers and the trip to Durban will be the chance to make the play-offs in the city they once called home. In the Sharks team, only Riaan Viljoen has played for the opponent.
Over the last 10 years, Griquas never managed to win in Durban but they came close in 2004, when they were leading by 7 points with only 10 minutes to go but a converted Adi Jacobs try and a dropgoal by Graig Davidson helped the Sharks to pull through. A final minute missed penalty by Braam van Straaten for Griquas meant they went back empty-handed. Most noticable players for Griquas that day were Tiaan Liebenberg, Zan Kirchner, Johan Ackermann and the earlier mentioned Braam van Straaten. For the Sharks the late Solly Tyibilika, Johann Muller, BJ Botha and Mzwandile Stick were amongst the players that day, 8 years ago.
The biggest win for the Sharks, came 2 years later, when the 2004-hero Conrad Barnard played for Griquas and the Sharks were on a rampage, ending with 9 tries to 1 in a 60-8 win. It was the year when Sharks captain Keegan Daniel made his debut. On the day Bismarck du Plessis was the big man with 3 tries. In all those years, Griquas only once managed to score 4 tries, in 2010, when they still had try-scoring machine Bjorn Basson in their team, who scored all 4 tries. Griquas need to win to keep their fate in their own hands, Sharks need to win to stay top of the log and ensure home-ground advantage for a possible final. Earlier this season, Griquas won in Kimberley when the two teams met and they will use that performance to build confidence.
On Saturday we see the other two matches. The first one is played in Cape Town when the Free State Cheetahs travel to Newlands to try and sneak past their opponents on the log. Both teams hold their fate in their own hands. The Cheetahs are only behind WP by 2 points. In recent years, the Cheetahs have shown they are able to win at Newlands. With WP, there's just one former Cheetah in Duane Vermeulen, while Tiaan Liebenberg played for the Cheetahs Super Rugby franchise when representing Griquas. When looking at the Cheetahs, we see Brummer Badenhorst, Ross Geldenhuys and Marcel van der Merwe while Rayno Benjamin represented the Stormers while representing Boland Cavaliers. Kabamba Floors did the same in 2004 when playing for SWD Eagles.
Since 2003, the Cheetahs have won 4 times at Newlands, had 1 draw and lost 3 times with 7 points or less. The biggest win for the Cheetahs at Newlands was last year when the emergence of Johan Goosen helped them to play a whole new brand of rugby and surprise everyone. In a 20-34 win, including 4 tries, they were building towards their play-off participation. While the Cheetahs players of that day are mostly in the squad this year, Western Province has seen most of them leave. Among them, JD Moller, Hilton Lobberts, Lionel Cronje, JJ Engelbrecht, Johann Sadie, Danie Poolman and Conrad Jantjes.
The biggest win for Western Province in recent years against the Cheetahs was in 2007. A 34-20 win was established thanks to Breyton Paulse, Corne Uys (playing for the Cheetahs later in his career) and Francois van der Merwe. For the Cheetahs, there was a try by Duane Vermeulen and points from the kicking tee by later WP-fly half Willem de Waal. Looking at the Cheetahs of that day, we see a bunch who are now active somewhere else in South Africa. Among them Duane Vermeulen, Jonathan Mokuena, Marius Joubert and Alwyn Hollenbach. A special mention for the draw mentioned in the previous results. Back in 2003, the two teams both managed to score 36 points. It was a crazy match and with only 10 minutes to go, the score was 19-33 in favor of the Free State Cheetahs but thanks to 3 tries in the final ten minutes, of which two in the final 3 minutes by Pierre Uys, Western Province ended the match with a tie and 3 points for the log. Earlier this season, Western Province won 22-29 in Bloemfontein and a win will clinch a play-off spot for either team.
The final match of the regular season is played in Johannesburg. Reigning champions Golden Lions take on the struggling Blue Bulls. This game can end up being a battle between two rivals or it can be a match where the Bulls are the only ones having something to fight for. It all depends on whether the log-leading Natal Sharks beat Griquas on Friday. If not, the Golden Lions have everything to play for with the no. 1 spot up for grabs. If the Sharks win, the Golden Lions cannot end higher or lower than 2nd on the ladder. The Blue Bulls however, will try to do everything in their power not to end bottom of the log. After missing the play-offs last year, a new debacle is at hand. If the Blue Bulls win with 4 tries, they will either pass the Cheetahs or Western Province despite the result of that match.
In the Lions team, there's some former Blue Bulls-players who will try to beat their old teammates and biggest rivals. Andries Coetzee, Dylan Des Fountain, Dion Helberg, Bandise Maku and Hendrik Roodt. In the Blue Bulls-camp, we see former Golden Lions Grant Hattingh, Rudy Paige, Jano Vermaak and Willie Wepener. Since 2003, the Golden Lions only managed to win 3 times at home against the Blue Bulls. Their most memorable win was back in 2004. On a cold day in July, the Blue Bulls conceded 17 points before striking back after only 24 minutes. A half-time score of 20-17 showed a tight encounter and with just 5 minutes to go, the Blue Bulls were ahead by 26-33. A converted try eaqualized the score and fly-half Nel Fourie, who was forced to retire in 2008 when he was at SWD Eagles, due to repeated head injuries, clinched the win with a drop-goal in the dying seconds.
The biggest win for the Blue Bulls in this encounter was in 2006. In a 24-39 victory, the Bulls were paving the way for their road to the Currie Cup final. A lot of names that day have been active elsewhere since. Looking at the Lions team, we see Brian Mujati, Gerhard Mostert, Jano Vermaak, Earl Rose, Louis Ludik, Rory Kockott, Jean Deysel and current Saracens-flanker Ernst Joubert. For the Blue Bulls, Adriaan Fondse, Warren Brosnihan, Pedrie Wannenburg, Marius Delport and JP Nel are some of the players who moved on since. Some things will never change though since both JC Janse van Rensburg (Lions) and Morne Steyn (Blue Bulls) have survived everything and are still present 6 years later. Earlier this season, the Golden Lions won at Loftus and this match is a difficult one to pick, but that's the case with all of them, to be honest.
The vBookie event for this round will be Western Province - Free State Cheetahs
Round 10 Fixtures
Kings Park, Durban (12/10/2012, 19:10 GMT)
Newlands, Cape Town (13/10/2012, 17:05 GMT)
Ellis Park, Johannesburg (13/10/2012, 19:10 GMT)
