Lions stalk Bulls for top spot with Sharks lurking
Leighton Koopman
The Sharks will get some heavyweights back for the final two rounds of the Currie Cup, while head coach John Plumtree will also take over the reins from JP Pietersen.
After a fighting 31-23 win over Western Province in Cape Town this past weekend, the Durban side took one step closer to booking a play-off spot in the domestic competition.
They will be in an even stronger position this coming week with a host of United Rugby Championship (URC) stars set to return to the playing side with a view of giving them some game time ahead of the start of the international club competition in under a month.
Pietersen confirmed after his side’s win that he will be back in Cape Town with the Sharks’ junior side, while a mix of experience and youth will take on the Griffons as Plumtree looks to use the final two Currie Cup matches as warm-ups ahead of the URC.
Of course, they are still in the running to play in the semi-finals, and a win on Saturday over the Griffons could seal their spot.
“Our goal (in the competition) was never to look at the log but blooding youngsters, and that was our number one objective,” Pietersen said about where they find themselves on the log.
“But over the last eight weeks, the team really did something special and it shows. In the first half (against WP), the three tries were scrappy but we found a way to score tries and that shows the character in the group.
“The Griffons game could be a bit scrappy, but there will be a mix of guys who have been playing and those coming in from pre-season who will have the warm-ups. But our squad depth looks good.”
WP’s play-off hopes ended with the defeat, but they are happy with the youngsters who received valuable game time over the past two months of rugby. Although they lost six of their eight games so far, there is no panic in the Cape about the Currie Cup performances.
Coach JP Pietersen speaks on a successful Currie Cup campaign so far and handing over the reins to Head Coach Plumtree as he prepares for the upcoming SA Rugby Cup U19 and SA Rugby Cup U21 tournaments🖤🤍#CarlingCurrieCup #SharksYoungBloods #WPvSHA pic.twitter.com/BxAmjIvkka
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) August 24, 2024
Rito Hlungwani, WP assistant coach, said they will also start to look at bringing their URC guys in for the final few games.
“This is usually when we start our friendly games when there is no Currie Cup, but we do have a plan with our URC guys.
“We were very happy with the performance of the guys against the Sharks, and it would’ve been nice to win, but we are happy with the goal we are chasing and the boxes we want to tick for our union and the Stormers.”
The unbeaten Bulls will head to Midstream College to take on the second-placed Lions on Friday in a match that could determine who ends up first on the log heading into the final round-robin matches.
The Lions sent out a massive warning, trumping defending champions the Cheetahs 38-21 in a dominant display in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Bulls were far too strong for bottom dwellers Griquas, dispatching them 47-24 at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
It will be a clash of the best attack against the best defence with the Bulls scoring the most points and tries, and the Lions conceding the fewest points and tries against them.
In the final match of the weekend, played yesterday, the Griffons remained winless after losing 45-26 to the Pumas in Welkom.