What's to Come in Round Five of the Currie Cup?
The fifth round of the Currie Cup is set to go over the weekend and all eight teams will be battling hard to try and take control of one of the top four positions. Western Province remains the team to beat and should be in for a tough match-up this week against the Griquas.
Table
Western Province is the class of the tournament, sitting in first position with 18 points. The Sharks have snuck into second spot and have three wins and a total of 16 points. The Griquas have continued their strong run sitting in third position with 15, while the Bulls got back in the competition with last weeks win and a total of 11 points. The Cheetahs, meanwhile, are on the cusp with nine points, and the Golden Lions are close with six. As expected, the Pumas and Leopards round out the table with five and two points respectively.
Preview of Round Five
Pumas vs. Free State Cheetahs
In the first match of the day, the Pumas will be at home in Witbank against the Free State Cheetahs.
Both sides are coming off of tough losses and will be looking to make up for their poor play. The game may be more important to the Cheetahs, who sit right on the edge of a round two birth, just two points away from the Blue Bulls.
Blue Bulls vs. Leopards
The Blue Bulls are back in Pretoria after a week on the road, and will host the Leopards.
The Tri-Nations athletes are expected to still be in the Bulls line-up, and with the most South African internationals on their squad, it will give them the clear advantage.
This will be a statement game for the Bulls as the Leopards sit in second last in the table.
Griquas vs. Western Province
In the third and most interesting game of the round, the Griquas take on Western Province at home in Kimberly.
The Griquas are coming off of a huge win over the Leopards last week, but will face much stiffer competition in the likes of Western Province.
Province has been absolutely dominant this tournament, winning all four of their match-ups and earning bonus points in two of them. Last round, Province proved how good they can be against inferior opponents, destroying the Pumas.
Nevertheless, with first position up for grabs, it should be a very interesting match-up between the two sides.
Natal Sharks vs. Golden Lions
The Natal Sharks will host the Golden Lions at home in Durban in the final game of the week.
The Sharks are coming off of an amazing come-from-behind victory over Free State on the weekend and will be interested in building on their form. Fly-half Naas Olivier has been lights out from the tee, and the Sharks will hope he continues with the hot boot against the Lions. A Sharks win and a Province loss or tie will put them into first position.
The Lions, meanwhile, are hoping to make up for a poor display against the Blue Bulls last week, and will not be happy with their sixth place position.
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