Can Suzuki Griquas, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and DHL Western Province bounce back and gain their first Carling Currie Cup Premier Division victories this coming weekend and are the NovaVit Griffons capable of causing an early-season upset?
These are some of the questions that will be answered during round two of the Premier Division to be staged between Friday and Sunday.
Griquas play at home in Kimberley for a second week in a row, this time against the Sharks, in an exciting match kicking off at 3pm on Friday. Airlink Pumas host the Fidelity ADT Lions, also on Friday, from 7pm.
In Saturday’s only encounter, the defending champions Toyota Cheetahs welcome Western Province to Bloemfontein, with the Free Staters favoured to register their second win in a row after last weekend’s romp over the Griffons. The game is scheduled to start at 1.55pm.
Sunday’s 2pm clash between the Griffons and Vodacom Bulls at the Down Touch Investments Stadium in Welkom wraps up the weekend’s action.
Griquas went down to the Pumas in last weekend’s opening round clash in Kimberley, and the men from the Diamond City will fancy their chances against a youthful looking Sharks side.
Kimberley is a difficult spot for any visiting team and the Durbanites will also have to cope with the home side’s controlled aggression as the recently crowned SA Cup champions seek to get their first win.
While the Pumas gained a deserving victory in Kimberley, the Lions had to work extremely hard for their one-point triumph in Durban and an exciting game is on the cards between the two attack-minded sides at the Mbombela Stadium.
Judging on last weekend’s results, the Cheetahs should have too much firepower for a young WP outfit. The men from Bloemfontein swept aside their neighbours from the Northern Free State last weekend and the Capetonians will have to show a lot of improvement from their loss to the Bulls, if they want to succeed away from home.
In the last match up of the weekend, the Bulls are favoured over home side the Griffons in Welkom. Success in this fixture will keep the Pretoria outfit amongst the front runners on the log, while the purple jerseys are seeking their first league points.
Although it’s very early days, it’s no surprise the Cheetahs dominate proceedings on the leading scorers list.
Ethan Wentzel heads the list with 19 points following his seven conversions and a try in the opening round. Lions flyhalf Kade Wolhuter is just three points behind on 16, while Pumas playmaker Clinton Swart is on 14 points.
Three Cheetahs players - Gideon van der Merwe, Daniel Kasende and Jandre Nel, as well as the Griquas’ Mnombo Zwelendaba, have scored two tries each.
All the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division action will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Fixtures
Suzuki Griquas v Hollywoodbets Sharks XV - Friday @ Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley (3pm)
Referee: Christopher Allison
TV: SS Rugby
Airlink Pumas v Fidelity ADT Lions - Friday @ Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit (7pm)
Referee: Sean Muller
TV: SS Rugby
Toyota Cheetahs v DHL Western Province - Saturday @ Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein (1.55pm)
Referee: Ruhan Meiring
TV: SS Rugby
NovaVit Griffons v Vodacom Bulls - Sunday @ Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom (2pm)
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
TV: SS Rugby
Meanwhile, with the semi-finals moving into view and three teams already guaranteed places in the Carling Currie Cup First Division play-offs, there is still a lot to play for all the teams in the competition.
Log leaders, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, are the firm favourites over Border Bulldogs when they meet Saturday afternoon from 1.30pm in East London, where they can secure a home semi-final.
So far, the Bolanders have won all four their games with bonus points and the last-placed Bulldogs are in for a tough home encounter against the log leaders at Police Park.
The two remaining matches are both scheduled for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday. Second-placed Valke host the third-placed Eastern Province at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, and Leopards (fourth) are set to battle Phangela SWD Eagles (fifth) in Potchefstroom.
The Valke will want to win their match to secure a home semi-final but the East Randers will know EP can still move past them on the log, making it an important game for both teams.
The clash in Potch is a quarter-final in essence, as the winner of this encounter will join the other three teams in the play-offs.
Duren Hoffman of the Kavaliers leads the First Division points and try-scoring charts on 50 points from 10 tries in four games, followed by EP’s Jayden Bantom and the Kavaliers’ Ashlon Davids, who are both on 43. Rodney Damons of EP has scored the second-most tries, with five.
Fixtures
Border Bulldogs v Sanlam Boland Kavaliers - Saturday @ Police Park, East London (1.30pm)
Referee: Paul Mente
Valke v Eastern Province - Saturday @ Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park (3pm)
Referee: Hanru van Rooyen
Leopards v Phangela SWD Eagles - Saturday @ Olen Park, Potchefstroom (3pm)
Referee: Jonathan Lottering
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