Conditions will be key in the battle for Currie Cup playoffs

Western Province have endured a most average season and, unless they beat the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, they will miss out on the Currie Cup semi-finals for only the second time since 2008. And Sharks coach Sean Everitt foresees a desperate visiting team that will play more rugby than usual.

The problem with that is that Durbanites are expecting to see squalls of rain sweeping in from the sea, and the Sharks have made using their kicking game to force teams deep into their own territory something of an art form.

“Western Province are a proud franchise and they won’t be happy with where they are on the log,” Everitt said.

“They will see the opportunity to get five points. I’m sure they will come to Kings Park and give it their all and play more rugby than usual.

“Our kicking game will certainly help us because the conditions Durban is expecting will bring a lot of rain and gale-force winds, so we are very happy to have Curwin Bosch back and we will have another look at him at fullback.”

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The Sharks lost their recent match against Griquas because they failed to grab their scoring opportunities and the Northern Cape team have since moved to third on the log with their thumping of Western Province last weekend, giving them wins home and away against the team that has won the Currie Cup more than any other (34 times).

The match between Griquas and the Pumas in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon will be a feast of celebration for the winners as they will be assured of a semi-final place.

The losers of this 2.30pm clash will have to wait until Saturday night to see if Western Province can upstage the Sharks and sneak past them into the knockout round.

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In between those games, the Bulls host the Free State Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld.

Having devoured the Pumas pack in the set-pieces, which was crucial as the Bulls were not dominant in any other area, Jake White’s young pack will be eager to stamp their mark again and get the win to seal first place on the final log.

“I do not think the Pumas have been dominated at set-piece before this season like they were by the Bulls, which was a great boost for us,” White said.

“We generally have quite a young pack – only Arno Botha is older than 25 – and their performances have given us massive confidence. Credit to forwards coach Russell Winter, who has done a fantastic job getting that pack going.”