Absa Currie Cup Preview – Week 11
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The Vodacom Blue Bulls will be faced with the difficult task of taming the resurgent Xerox Lions who are enjoying a five-match winning streak in the Absa Currie Cup when these sides meet up at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday at 17h05.
The defending champions must topple their Johannesburg opponents to keep their 2010 title defence on track. The hosts are currently in fifth position on the log with 29 points and are one point behind their Gauteng neighbours.
Consistency has been one the major problems for Frans Ludeke’s troops this season as they have won only two of their last five games in the competition. Both victories came at Loftus Versfeld – against The Sharks (40-34) and the GWK Griquas (39-38).
The Xerox Lions on the other hand have been in a rampant mood lately. They last tasted defeat during week five’s action when they suffered a 48-19 loss to The Sharks in Durban.
Since then, the Johannesburg franchise has claimed the scalps of fellow semi-final contenders – Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (30-26), Vodacom Western Province (48-46) and GWK Griquas (40-29). They also beat the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (33-30) and the Platinum Leopards (45-22).
Victory in Pretoria for the Xerox Lions will further cement their chances of competing in next month’s Absa Currie Cup semi-finals while defeat for the Vodacom Blue Bulls, which would be their sixth of the season, would leave them with the task of then having to win all their remaining matches in the competition if they are to retain the coveted Absa Currie Cup.
The Vodacom Free State Cheetahs will also have the chance of strengthening their bid of hosting an Absa Currie Cup Premier Division semi-final in October when they travel to Durban for their crucial clash against The Sharks on Saturday at 15h00.
Naka Drotske’s men, who defeated the Vodacom Blue Bulls (20-14) in Bloemfontein last Saturday, are currently in third position on the log with 32 points. They are still 10 points behind their Durban opponents.
Victory for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs on Saturday at The Absa Stadium Durban would not only close the gap between themselves and The Sharks, but it could also see them leapfrog Vodacom WP (33) who is in second position.
The Sharks on the other hand have been impressive in Durban during the 2010 Absa Currie Cup. They have recorded five home victories this season – against GWK Griquas (48-30), Vodacom Western Province (27-16), Xerox Lions (48-19), Vodacom Blue Bulls (34-28) and the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (27-17).
The Sharks have only conceded two home defeats during the last two seasons in the Absa Currie Cup. However, one of those was against the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs during last year’s Absa Currie Cup Premier Division semi-final.
The Vodacom Free State Cheetahs is the one side that has regularly toppled The Sharks in Durban. They have won four out of their last six games played at The Absa Stadium Durban since 2005.
Meanwhile, the Barloworld Toyota Pumas will be hoping to emulate their last experience at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit when they host Vodacom Western Province on Friday at 19h10.
The hosts caused one of the season’s big upsets when they edged the Vodacom Blue Bulls by 22-21 victory in week eight. Sadly for the hosts, their only other victories in the Premier Division this season has been against the Platinum Leopards (twice) – the only side in the competition yet to secure a win.
Matters won’t get any easier for the Barloworld Toyota Pumas when they take on a Vodacom Western Province outfit which will include Springboks such as Francois Louw, Jean de Villiers, Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon, who recently signed a three year deal with WP.
Province has also not conceded a defeat against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas during their last four games since 2005. The Cape side has notched up seven victories during this season’s competition and will be aiming to secure their eighth, to keep their aspirations of a home semi-final at Newlands alive.
In the other Absa Currie Cup match on Friday evening, the GWK Griquas will have to achieve maximum points from their clash against the Platinum Leopards to keep their chances of qualification for next month’s semi-final alive.
The Kimberley side last tasted victory in week six when they defeated the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (58-25) in Kimberley. Since then they conceded defeats to the Vodacom Blue Bulls (39-38), The Sharks (48-30), Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (33-28) and the Xerox Lions (40-29).
The GWK Griquas are in sixth position on the Absa Currie Cup with 25 points, five behind the fourth-placed Xerox Lions. The Platinum Leopards on the other hand will once again be desperate to claim their first win of the season as they are the only side in this year’s Premier or First Division who are yet to record a victory.
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