Momentum is key in Currie Cup First Division

The Carling Currie Cup First Division moves into its second round this weekend with three matches that should offer an early indication of which teams are ready to build momentum in a short but demanding competition.

The second round starts with an Eastern Cape derby on Friday afternoon, when the Border Bulldogs host Eastern Province from 3pm at Police Park in East London. Both sides are chasing their first win after a difficult opening round, which should add and edge to their strong provincial rivalry.

On Saturday, the Griffons return to Welkom with the opportunity to consolidate their early lead when they host the Leopards at the Down Touch Investments Stadium, while Outeniqua Park in George stages a key early-season meeting between two first-round winners, the DotSure SWD Eagles and the Valke. Both games kick off at 3pm.

The opening weekend delivered high-scoring rugby across all three venues, with the Griffons beating Border 52-19 in East London, SWD edging the Leopards 44-38 in Potchefstroom and the Valke defeating Eastern Province 49-28 in Kempton Park.

The competition features six teams, with the top four after the league phase advancing to the semi-finals on the weekend of 18 July and the final scheduled for the following weekend. With such a compact format, teams that fall behind early will have little time to recover.

The derby at Police Park gives both Border and EP a quick chance to reset after opening-round defeats. Border will be determined to tighten up defensively after conceding eight tries against the Griffons, while EP will want to turn their attacking promise into more points.

The visitors from Gqeberha will take confidence from their recent SA Cup form, including a dominant 71-14 win over Border earlier in the season, but derbies can quickly become arm-wrestles. For Border, the priority will be to start better and use their scoring chances.

EP, coached by former Springbok coach Allister Coetzee, have shown enough in recent months to suggest they can be dangerous. Their challenge in East London will be to match Border’s home derby intensity.

The Griffons began the defence of their First Division title in impressive fashion with a big away win over Border and they now return to Welkom with the chance to take early control of the log. Jacques Juries’ side will be looking to build on that attacking start and maintain momentum.

The Leopards, however, showed plenty of attacking threat in their 44-38 defeat to SWD at Olen Park. They scored enough points to remain in the contest until the end, but they will know that defensive frailties in Welkom could be costly against a Griffons side already full of confidence.

The meeting between DotSure SWD Eagles and the Valke at Outeniqua Park sees both teams entering the weekend on the back of first-round victories. SWD showed composure and attacking quality to win away to the Leopards, while the Valke were convincing in a 49-28 success over EP.

SWD, coached by former Bok mentor Heyneke Meyer, will be eager to make their home advantage count after narrowly missing out on Premier Division qualification through the SA Cup, while the Valke, last year’s First Division runners-up, will see this as an opportunity to underline their credentials away from home.

It will be interesting to see whether SWD can turn home advantage into a second straight win, or whether the Valke can reproduce their opening-round authority on the road.

Fixtures

Border Bulldogs v Eastern Province - Friday @ Police Park, East London (3pm)

Referee: Jonathan Lottering

Griffons v Leopards - Saturday @ Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom (3pm)

Referee: Lulutho Matomela

DotSure SWD Eagles v Valke - Saturday @ Outeniqua Park, George (3pm)

Referee: Paul Mente