Currie Cup serves more spicy fixtures

The Toyota Cheetahs, who suffered a narrow defeat in a thrilling Carling Currie Cup Premier Division opening round fixture in Wellington last week, face another stern test on Friday evening when they host the Airlink Pumas in Bloemfontein, where the clash will kick off at 7pm.

The encounter in the Free State capital will start another exciting round of fixtures. On Saturday, the impressive Fidelity ADT Lions welcome DHL Western Province to Johannesburg for the early afternoon match at 3pm, followed by the meeting in Pretoria, where the Vodacom Bulls host the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV at 5:10pm.

The weekend’s action wraps up on Sunday in Kimberley, where Suzuki Griquas host the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers at 3pm.

Frans Steyn’s Toyota Cheetahs will be ruing their missed opportunity against the Kavaliers, who snatched victory after the final hooter last week in Wellington. On Friday evening, they face the Airlink Pumas, who are in third place on the log after the opening round.

The Pumas’ convincing win over Griquas last weekend has placed them among the early pacesetters on the log, albeit after just one round. Looking ahead to Friday’s match in Bloemfontein, the Free Staters will be hoping to maintain their strong record in this fixture, having won three of the last four encounters against their Mpumalanga rivals – including the 2023 Premier Division final in Bloemfontein.

However, the Pumas will draw confidence from their recent SA Cup form against the Cheetahs, which includes two victories, one of them a 12-point win in March.

In Saturday’s first match at Ellis Park, the Fidelity ADT Lions will be brimming with confidence as they take on DHL WP. The Joburg side made a strong statement in the opening round, dismantling the Sharks by 41 points, while Province fell short against the Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town.

The Joburgers have won the last two meetings between these sides, both home and away, while DHL WP’s last victory over their Joburg rivals came in March 2023.

The Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks XV have produced some memorable clashes in this prestigious competition, including last year’s epic semifinal, which ended 40-40 after regular time.

Based on last week’s dominant performance in Cape Town, the Pretoria outfit will be favourites, while the Durbanites will need a marked improvement to be competitive on Saturday afternoon at Loftus after they lost by a big score against the Lions last week.

Sunday’s fixture in Kimberley sees Suzuki Griquas take on the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, a side they men from the Northern Cape have traditionally held the upper hand over, with the last two SA Cup meetings between these teams ending in Griquas victories.

However, Boland coach Hawies Fourie will point to his side’s recent improvement and their gritty home win over the Cheetahs last week as signs of their growing competitiveness.

All Carling Currie Cup Premier Division matches will be broadcast live on the SuperSport Rugby channel.

FIXTURES

TOYOTA CHEETAHS VS AIRLINK PUMAS

Friday, 1 August

Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein

Kick-off: 7pm

FIDELITY ADT LIONS VS DHL WESTERN PROVINCE

Saturday, 2 August

Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Kick-off: 3pm

VODACOM BULLS VS HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS XV

Saturday, 2 August

Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Kick-off: 5:10pm

SUZUKI GRIQUAS VS SANLAM BOLAND KAVALIERS

Sunday, 3 August

Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley

Kick-off: 3pm