It’s crunch time in the Currie Cup: Semifinal places up for grabs

The Currie Cup has now reached the stage when the strength of the gizzards of the six remaining teams in contention will be tested and there are crunch games being staged in Nelspruit on Saturday and Kimberley on Sunday.

The Free State Cheetahs visit the Pumas on Saturday for a midday game that they know they have to win if they are to keep their faltering challenge for a semifinal spot alive.

On Sunday afternoon Griquas host Western Province and the winners of that clash will have a good chance of finishing third on the log.

Meanwhile, at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon, it is the Lions, who have bowed out of the running, who will want to show their intestinal fortitude by winning their last game and giving themselves a chance of not finishing last on the log when they take on the Sharks.

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The visitors have much to play for themselves as they still need to nail down home-ground advantage for the semifinals, never mind the final, and coach Sean Everitt is expecting the Lions to make it very tough for them.

“It’s a very important game as far as the log is concerned, we have the opportunity to catch the Bulls at the top if they slip up against the Cheetahs next weekend, and the next thing for us is a home semifinal,” Everitt said.

“But even then, with Western Province getting five points in their last game, it’s vital we get a full house of points against the Lions.

“But the Lions are going to be really desperate because they want to rise from the bottom of the log. No-one can fault their effort this season, just a few things have gone wrong for them and they’ve been punished for it. They will give it their all and they are a dangerous team who score a lot of points.”

The one improvement Everitt knows the Sharks have to show is in their discipline and he was cross about how many penalties they conceded in struggling to beat a 14-man Cheetahs side last weekend.

“We have to get right what we got wrong against the Cheetahs, which was giving away far too many penalties,” said Everitt.

“It meant we weren’t able to get into our game. It’s an old Rainbow Cup problem that has resurfaced. Against a team like the Lions who use their opportunities, we need to keep them out and we can’t be giving them penalties otherwise they will score.”