A lot at stake in final round of Currie Cup First Division

The Carling Currie Cup First Division will go down to the wire on Friday when five of the six teams will set their sights on finishing as high as possible on the standings as the play-offs move into view.

The Valke, currently in top spot on the log, face a tricky trip down to Gqeberha where third-placed Eastern Province await at 3pm. If they win in the Eastern Cape, the East Randers will finish first.

At the same time, the second-placed NovaVit Griffons will run out in Welkom full of confidence against the Border Bulldogs, winless and bottom of the log.

The men from the Northern Free State will know that a victory in front of their home crowd, coupled with a defeat for the Valke, will see them leap-frog to the top of the standings.

The final match kicks off at 6pm in George, where the winner between the Phangela SWD Eagles and the Leopards – fourth and fifth on the log respectively – will qualify for the semi-finals.

It’s clear that there is a lot at stake.

The Elephants will take confidence from the fact that they have won three of their last four encounters with the Valke, with the visitors from Kempton Park’s only victory over EP since 2023 coming earlier this year in the opening round of the SA Cup.

Playing at home against the men from the East Rand, EP are on a five-game winning streak dating back to 2017. That alone should be enough motivation for the Valke to turn the tide in Nelson Mandela Bay.

In Welkom, the Griffons should have too much firepower for the Bulldogs, who have struggled this season. Playing in Welkom last year and in 2023, Border leaked 158 points and scored only 15, which should be an indication of the big task awaiting the men from East London in the Northern Free State.

The final match of the weekend in George is effectively a quarter-final where the winner will progress and the loser’s season will come to an end.

Three of the last four encounters between the Eagles and the Leopards were won by the visiting team, which should give the men from Potch some confidence as they travel to the Southern Cape for this make-or-break clash.

Last year in the SA Cup, the Leopards won 45-31 in George and they repeated this victory earlier this year in the same competition with a 47-35 win in Potch.

However, SWD won the corresponding Carling Currie Cup clash between the two teams by 45-33 at Olen Park last year and with the stakes as high as they are for this game, the hosts will leave nothing to chance as they aim to cling onto fourth spot on the standings.

With bonus points at play there may be some mathematics involved at the end of the match but neither team will want to risk that and will aim for maximum points.

Fixtures

Eastern Province v Valke - Friday @ Madibaz Stadium, Gqeberha (3pm)

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron

Broadcast: SuperSport channel 248

Novavit Griffons v Border Bulldogs - Friday @ Down Touch Investment Stadium, Welkom (3pm)

Referee: Lulutho Matomela

Broadcast: SuperSport channel 247

Phangela SWD Eagles v Leopards - Friday @ Outeniqua Park, George (6pm)

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys

Broadcast: SuperSport channel 247