What's to Come in Currie Cup's Round Four?
Another exciting round of the Currie Cup last weekend has set up an all-important fourth round that sees the return of 11 players from the Tri-Nations cup, as the Blue Bulls try and get it together after two straight losses.
Leopards vs. Griquas
The Leopards will play host to the Griquas at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng on the weekend. The Leopards, who are currently sitting in last place, will look to get back on their game after losing to Western Province in the third round.
The Griquas, on the other hand, will be interested in continuing their strong tournament with a third win, building on their success from last week’s win over the Golden Lions.
The Griquas are expected to defeat the Leopards, even though they are on the road next weekend. Neither team will be helped by the influx of players returning from Tri-Nations duty.
Western Province vs. Pumas
Western Province returns home this weekend to Newlands Stadium where they will take on the Pumas. Province showed their skill last week with an impressive 42-23 victory over the Leopards, while the Pumas will be looking to rebound after suffering another loss, this time to the Natal Sharks during last weekend's match.
Western Province will be helped by the return of Tri-Nations players Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, and Francois Louw. Conversely, the Pumas are expected to go with a similar line-up as they do not have any Tri-Nations athletes.
Province is expected to take the victory over the struggling Pumas on the weekend, hanging onto their spot at the top of the table.
Golden Lions vs. Blue Bulls
The Golden lions will host the Blue Bulls this weekend at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg. The Lions currently sit sixth in the standings while the Bulls are disappointed with their fifth place spot.
The Lions are coming off of a round three loss to a surprising Griquas side, and the Bulls will look to turn it around after suffering their second straight loss at the hands of the Free State Cheetahs last week.
The Bulls were helped by the addition of Dewald Potgieter last week, but will add Chiliboy Ralepelle, Flip van der Merwe, and Francois Hougaard, all of whom return from Tri-Nations duty this week.
The influx of talent from the Tri-Nations should give the Bulls the advantage in the clash this weekend. This is a very important meeting for the Bulls as Western Province continues to tally points and pull further and further away from them in the standings. In addition, the emergence of a strong Griquas side could damage the Bulls chances of getting through to the knock-out stage, making the next round pivotal to their success.
Cheetahs vs. Natal Sharks
In the final match up of the week, the Free State Cheetahs take on the Natal Sharks in Vodacom Park at home in Bloemfontein.
The weeks premier match-up between the second place Sharks and the fourth place Cheetahs is likely to be a battle to the final whistle. The Sharks are coming off a victory over the Pumas last week and look to be in form heading into round four. The Cheetahs are looking strong as well as they completed a come-from-behind victory over the Blue Bulls in the 80th minute last week.
The Cheetahs are excited to get CJ van der Linde back from Tri-Nations duty and put his big body to work in the prop position, giving them a little bit more size in the scrum.
The Sharks will also be helped by the arrival of South African national players as they welcome back Ruan Pienaar, Beast Mtawarira, and Ryan Kankowski.
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