ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division Preview – Round 4
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The Sharks captain, Jean Deysel during the Sharks heavy defeat at the hands of the Vodacom Blue Bulls last weekend. Photo by Anton Geyser /Rugby15.
THE MTN Golden Lions will look to break away from what has become a congested leading bunch in the new six-team Absa Currie Cup Premier Division when they host GWK Griquas at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Friday night, in the first of three intriguing Round 4 matches to be played this weekend.
The Lions, Sharks and Toyota Free State Cheetahs each have nine log points and have each lost once already in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive round-robin phase. Coach Johan Ackermann’s side lead the standings on points difference over the Sharks and Cheetahs – without the services of mercurial flyhalf Johan Goosen after his Springbok call-up – who meet at Mr Price Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon.
In the weekend’s final match, DHL Western Province, currently lying in fifth place, will be determined to avoid their third defeat in four matches when they host the Vodacom Blue Bulls – who are fourth, one point behind the leaders – at DHL Newlands in Cape Town.
WP coach Allister Coetzee has made seven changes to the side that lost 26-23 to the Lions last week, including a completely new-look loose forward combination after a Bok call-up for eighthman Duane Vermeulen, a season-ending hand injury to Siya Kolisi, and a shoulder injury to opensider Tyrone Holmes which is expected to keep him out of action for a week.
In addition, Coetzee must make do without the services of midfielder Juan de Jongh after he too was included in the Springboks’ Rugby Championship squad to travel to Australia and New Zealand.
For the Blue Bulls, new Springbok JJ Engelbrecht, who travelled with the Boks to Argentina but who was left out of the latest squad, will make his Absa Currie Cup debut against WP at left wing while eighthman and skipper Dewald Potgieter will make his 50th Currie Cup appearance.
Blue Bulls flyhalf Louis Fouche tops the Premier Division point-scoring log after Round 3, with 60 points made up of six conversions, 15 penalties and a drop goal. Behind Fouche in second place is the Cheetahs’ Riaan Smit on 29, with the Lions’ Butch James third on 25.
Blue Bulls loose forward CJ Stander and Cheetahs wing Raymond Rhule lead the try-scoring stakes with three touchdowns apiece, with five players – Craig Burden, Jean Deysel, Odwa Ndungane, Rocco Jansen and Rynard Landman – each having scored two.
This weekend’s fixtures – Round 4:
MTN Golden Lions vs GWK Griquas
Date: Friday, 31 August
Kickoff: 19:10
Venue: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistants: Rasta Rasivhenge, Stefan Breytenbach
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman
Last meeting: 9 September 2011 in Johannesburg (Premier Division): Lions won 41-25
Sharks vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 1 September
Kickoff: 17:05
Venue: Mr Price Kings Park, Durban
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistants: Jason Jaftha, Reuben Rossouw
Last meeting: 22 October 2011 in Durban (Premier Division): Sharks won 20-13
DHL Western Province vs Vodacom Blue Bulls
Date: Saturday, 1 September
Kickoff: 19:10
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistants: Jonathan Kaplan, Marc van Zyl
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen
Last meeting: 17 September 2011 in Pretoria (Premier Division): Blue Bulls won 28-20
Round 3 results:
Vodacom Blue Bulls 42-31 Sharks
MTN Golden Lions 26-23 DHL Western Province
GWK Griquas 16-29 Toyota Free State Cheetahs
Round 2 results:
Toyota Free State Cheetahs 32-18 Vodacom Blue Bulls
Sharks 30-14 MTN Golden Lions
GWK Griquas 20-25 DHL Western Province
Round 1 results:
Vodacom Blue Bulls 35-20 GWK Griquas
MTN Golden Lions 43-20 Toyota Free State Cheetahs
DHL Western Province 23-25 Sharks
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