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Only 3 more rounds left in this season. The big question on everyone's mind will be if Griquas will make the play-offs. The Kimberley team lost at Newlands last weekend and they have a chance to redeem themselves at home, playing against their franchise partners, Free State Cheetahs. The Lions will look to build on the win last weekend when they play WP at Newlands. The Sharks, WP and Griquas are the 3 teams chasing the Transvaal team with the Cheetahs and Bulls fighting against a promotion/relegation match. Let's look at the matches of this weekend.
We start the weekend on Friday. In the Shark Tank, the Natal Sharks take on the Blue Bulls. The Sharks have a winning streak against the Blue Bulls at Kings Park of 7 in a row. The last time the Bulls won was 2006. Since then, the Sharks have not lost to the Bulls at home, including the 2008 Currie Cup final and the 2010 semi final. The Sharks will be looking to keep the pressure on the Lions and hold on to the no. 2 spot on the log. With Burden and Mvovo back with the Boks, Hadebe and Sithole will have to step up again. John Plumtree is angry at not getting Lambie back, who hasn't been playing for the Sharks but a lot of people see a fly-half solution in Meyer Bosman. With the omission of Louis Ludik for the Bok squad, the Sharks hold on to their best player this season. The Bulls will be without Jacques Potgieter again and the Bulls, after winning against the Cheetahs, will look to fight for their chance to reach the play-offs. With just 1 bonuspoint the Pretoria side are trailing in the hunt for the cherished spot. Winning in Durban will bring them closer to the top teams and it will be a very interesting match to watch. Sharks to take this by 6.
On Saturday we have 2 matches played at the same time. In Cape Town the Golden Lions take on Western Province. Both teams won their match last weekend and it will be an interesting clash. The Western Province team will miss 6 players on Bok duty while the Lions are without 3 essential players. Taute and Jantjies, who were important to them last weekend, are among them. With Jantjies out, Butch James will take his place. Western Province miss a lot of players but their youngsters have really stepped up so far this season. Marcel Brache and JP du Plessis as the center-combo has exceeded expectations but the problems are in the loose forward-department. Tyrone Holmes will return from a suspension which gives them a bit more depth but the real question is who will play scrum-half. Louis Schreuder and Nic Groom have both been more than decent with Duvenhage missing the rest of the season. The last time the Golden Lions won at Newlands, Bryan Habana scored... For the Lions, that is. Andre Watson was the referee and Schalk Brits, Ricky Januarie, Jaque Fourie and Corad Jantjes were all representing the Jo'burg team. It was 8 years ago, in 2004. It's difficult to call, but with WP's form and the Lions missing key players compared to last week, I pick WP by 12.
The most interesting match of the weekend is played in Bloemfontein. The Griquas are playing out of their skin and the little brother of the franchise will look to bounce back after losing at Newlands to WP last weekend. The Free State Cheetahs however, are last on the log after losing to the Bulls. The difference between them and the no. 4, Griquas, is only 3 points and they have everything to play for. After losing valuable players like Davon Raubenheimer, Barry Geel and Sarel Pretorius to their big brother, the Griquas management has once again found players to step up and bring excitement to the matches of the Kimberley team. Francois Brummer, Marnus Hugo, Marnus Schoeman and Willie le Roux spark their attack and the only worry is the defensive part of their gameplan. When Griquas score first, they always show the most entertaining rugby played in South Africa but as soon as they trail, they lack the patience and experience to come back. In the last 10 years, Griquas only managed to win once at Free State Stadium. In 2009 they won Griquas-style, 4 converted tries, no penalties, no drop-goals, pure rugby. They have the talent this season to repeat that achievement. It's daring, but I pick Griquas by 8.
The vBookie event for this round will be Natal Sharks - Blue Bulls
Round 8 Fixtures
Kings Park, Durban (19:10 GMT)
Newlands, Cape Town (14:00 GMT)
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein (14:00 GMT)