The Lions host Griquas in Joburg on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Frikkie Kapp/Gallo Images
With all the focus on the Springboks and the start of the three-match Test series against the British and Irish Lions this weekend, the Currie Cup has had to take something of a back seat.
Also complicating matters has been Covid and how the coronavirus has hit some teams, while unrest in several parts of the country has forced the cancellation of games as well.
On top of all this, the Bulls opted to play against the SA ‘A’ side rather than a Currie Cup fixture, while the Sharks gave up their match against the Joburg Lions to face the British and Irish Lions for a second time.
What this all means is no one quite knows what’s going on in the Currie Cup or how many points each team has.
What we do know is there are some matches scheduled to take place this week. But one match has also been cancelled.
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The Sharks won’t face the Bulls in Durban because of security concerns, with a decision on the result and what to do with the log points to be made at a later stage.
On Wednesday, however, there will be action in Joburg and Bloemfontein.
After weeks of inactivity the Lions will be back on the field when they host Griquas at Ellis Park at 2.30pm and if they don’t take the game seriously they could come unstuck, as the Cheetahs and Western Province did earlier in the competition.
It is a fairly settled Lions team that will go into battle, with forwards FP Pelser and Travis Gordon in line to make their senior debuts. There is, however, still no word on when Jaco Kriel will be back in action.
In Bloemfontein, the Cheetahs will hope to put in a good showing against Western Province who, as the Stormers, were ripped to shreds by the British and Irish Lions at the weekend and will want to show they’re a better team than that.
The match in the Free State capital kicks off at 4.45pm.
There are three fixtures scheduled for this weekend; the Cheetahs will host the Sharks at 2.30pm Saturday, while on Sunday the Pumas will entertain Western Province at 1pm, and the Blue Bulls will welcome the Lions at 3.15pm.