Perfect start for Lions, Bulls
This weekend will be the first time that all eight Currie Cup teams have a genuine chance of beating their opponents.
|||If everything went according to expectations in round two, then this weekend’s Currie Cup matches are anything but predictable.
It’ll be the first time in this year’s competition that all eight teams have a genuine chance of beating their opponents and what a few games we have in store. But first, let’s take a look at what happened this past weekend.
There would have been a collective sigh of relief in Durban following the Sharks’ narrow, but bonus-point, win against the EP Kings; their first of the competition. Gary Gold’s men came unstuck in week one in Nelspruit against the Pumas and while many predicted this would be an easy five points earned, the Sharks were in fact made to work extremely hard for their victory.
After an entertaining 80 minutes Gold’s men triumphed by eight to open their account, while the Kings – just about humiliated in round one by the Lions – picked up a bonus point for scoring four tries and they’ll head into their next fixture confident of bagging a first win.
In Cape Town, in persistent rain, Western Province made it two from two after their win against the Cheetahs, but it could have been a very different affair had Rayno Benjamin not spilled the ball in going over the line in the dying minutes.
A successful conversion would have given Franco Smith’s men a victory, but it was not to be and the new coach will now be desperate for a first win.
The early pace-setters, the Bulls and Lions, collected all the points on offer on Friday as they battled past Griquas and the Pumas respectively to top the log with a fullhouse of 10 points.
Both teams were made to fight hard for their victories, with the No10s – Tian Schoeman and Marnitz Boshoff – playing big roles in their team’s victories.
Griquas showed they will be no pushovers this season despite Western Province giving them a hiding in week one, while the Pumas, too, showed plenty of fight against their Joburg neighbours.
The fairly predictable state of affairs though could be upset this weekend.
The Kings will be boosted by their showing in Durban and may believe the Pumas are their best chance of registering a win at the moment, while Griquas will always back themselves against neighbours, the Cheetahs – especially in Kimberley. Both games should be crackers – with all four teams desperate for a victory.
On Saturday the Lions face the Sharks in Durban – their first real test of the competition, while in Pretoria the Bulls will host Western Province with both teams out to keep intact their unbeaten run so far.
RESULTS
Sharks 33, Kings 25; WP 9, Cheetahs 3; Bulls 36, Griquas 12; Lions 44, Pumas 27
FIXTURES
Friday: Kings v Pumas; Griquas v Cheetahs
Saturday: Sharks v Lions; Bulls v WP - The Star