Currie Cup: What to look out for this weekend
It's the battle of the early favourites in Bloem, the Lions need to find form and the Pumas get Kings reinforcements.
Blitzboks star Rosco Specman has given an interesting new dimension to the Cheetahs backline. Photo: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images.
Don’t be too depressed if you missed the opening week of this year’s Currie Cup … pretty much everyone did.
However, the fact that only one local team remains in Super Rugby means that the tournament – which is pretty much already watered down – does gain a bit more prominence.
Here’s what to look out for in round two.
Kings add firepower to Pumas
Granted, the Lions are pretty much missing 30 of their leading players but it was still a mild surprise when the Pumas trumped them 43-36 last week.
Brent Janse van Rensburg’s troops always punch above their weight in the Currie Cup and need a few early victories to avoid fizzling away because of depth issues later on.
As a result, they’ll be keen to see how Kings flankers Chris Cloete and Thembelani Bholi perform.
Bholi was signed earlier this year while Cloete – one of the leading fetchers in Super Rugby this season – honours the last few months of his contract with the team from Mbombela.
However, their opponents on Saturday are the Sharks, who boast 13 Super Rugby regulars in their starting XI.
Given that they play in Durban, the Pumas are really up against it.
Wobbly Lions need to bounce back against dangerous foes
The Lions are the perfect example of how the Super Rugby and Currie Cup overlap can haunt a union.
If their second stringers lose to Griquas on Saturday, they’ll already be off the pace.
It’s been a great 2017 for the men from Kimberley, who’ve garnered a main sponsor in Tafel Lager and finished runners-up in the recently concluded SuperSport Challenge.
Griquas might not boast star power but they definitely have cultivated a good team culture and have continuity in their playing ranks.
Battle of the early favourites in Bloemfontein
Say what you want about Western Province’s depth, they still manage to do well in tournaments below Super Rugby.
They’re perennial overachievers in the Currie Cup and won this year’s SuperSport Challenge.
With Super Rugby stars like SP Marais, Chris van Zyl and Seabelo Senatla in their ranks, it should be a good advertisement for their playing stocks in this year’s edition.
But they face the defending champions the Cheetahs, who were rampant in a 47-12 win over the Sharks last week.
Rory Duncan essentially has a Super Rugby XV at his disposal.
Surely they’ll take advantage of that … well, advantage.
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