It’s do-or-die as the final four fight it out for places in the Currie Cup final this weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
We’re down to four.
We have the defending champions in Griquas, the most mistreated team in South African rugby in the Cheetahs, the purring Pumas of Mbombela and the pride of Johannesburg in the Lions.
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For the first time in the history of the world’s oldest provincial rugby competitions, the semi-finals will both be played on Sunday.
The Peacock Blues will host to the Lions in Kimberley, where after the Cheetahs and the Pumas battle it out in Bloemfontein.
Griquas vs Lions
Sunday, 6 September – 13:00
The first of Sunday’s semi-finals is a rematch of last year’s decider.
A lot can change in a year, and this clash highlights that. Last year’s final was played at Ellis Park, where Griquas were written off, with the Lions – loaded with United Rugby Championship stars – starting as 20-point favourites.
However, the men from Kimberley coped better with the pressure and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Currie Cup history, George Whitehead slotting a last-gasp penalty goal to snatch a 27-25 win and Griquas’ first Currie Cup crown in 55 years.
This time around, the Peacock Blues are the favourites and have earned home ground advantage after finishing the regular season as the top seeds. Since their last-minute 25-19 loss to the Stormers XXIII in Cape Town in the opening round, Griquas have gone from strength to strength, winning all six of their next games to top the table.
Extremely well-coached by Pieter Bergh, Griquas showed what a well-oiled machine they are by thumping a Boland team playing for a playoff place in Wellington 48-17 last weekend. In doing so, they helped the Lions sneak into the semis at the Kavaliers’ expense after the Pride mauled the Stormers XXIII 36-12 to snap a three-game winless streak.
Griquas won the round-robin phase meeting between the teams, which was also played in Kimberley, 31-19, and should march into a home final by a similar margin.
Prediction: Griquas by 10.
Cheetahs vs Pumas
Sunday, 6 September – 15:30
The second semi is also a rematch.
This one is as fresh as they come as these two sides met last weekend in Mbombela, where the Pumas prevailed 52-26 to punch their ticket to the playoffs in third position, one spot below the Free Staters.
That emphatic victory will give Jimmy Stonehouse’s charges a world of confidence that they can repeat the feat in Bloemfontein on Sunday, but they’ll know it’ll be a different ball game in the City of Roses, where the Cheetahs are unbeaten this season.
No coach wants a 26-point loss, but Frans Steyn will be happy that it came last weekend and not this coming one. What’s more, while the Pumas deserve credit for their performance in what was a must-win game for them, it was also clear that the Cheetahs were their own worst enemies.
It was very reminiscent of the recent opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, where the better team in the Boks were punished for their mistakes by the victorious All Blacks.
Just as South Africa did in the rematch last weekend, the Cheetahs should return to form to win the catfight that matters most.
Prediction: Cheetahs by 4.
