Steval Pumas and Vodacom Blue Bulls will be facing the Xerox Golden Lions and DHL Western Province, the two unbeaten sides, in the Vodacom Cup this year.
The semi-finals will take place this weekend. Xerox Golden Lions will come up against Steval Pumas on Friday, May 22, at 16:00, at Emirates Airlines Park. The second semi-final will be played on Saturday, May 23, at 16:30, when Vodacom Blue Bulls meet DHL Western Province in Cape Town.
If the latter win they will host the final in Cape Town. However, should the Capetonians lose their first match of the season, the highest-placed team from the North Section will host the final.
Of these four, it’s only the Steval Pumas, runners up in 2013, that haven’t won the Vodacom Cup. The Lowvelders caused an upset last weekend when they eliminated the defending champions, GWK Griquas, in their quarter-final in Kimberley.
The Xerox Golden Lions won the last of their five Vodacom Cup titles in 2013, the three-time champion Vodacom Blue Bulls’ last success was in 2010 and DHL Western Province lifted the trophy for the first and only time in 2012.
When they met earlier this year, the Johannesburgers won 24-16 in Nelspruit, outscoring the Steval Pumas by three tries to one. It was the 16th time these two sides had met in the Vodacom Cup, with the Lowvelders having won nine times and the Xerox Golden Lions six.
However, the last five matches between the Xerox Golden Lions and the Steval Pumas were won by the visiting team. This includes the last play-off encounter between these sides, when the Gautengers comfortably clinched the final in 2013 by 42-28 in Nelspruit.
So while the Xerox Golden Lions should be favourites to retain their unbeaten record in 2015, recent history dictates that they should not underestimate the Steval Pumas.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls hold the upper hand in knock-out contests between these traditional rivals – they won both (in 2010 by 17-6 in Pretoria and in 2009 by 36-16, also at home).
In fact, the last time DHL Western Province hosted the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the Vodacom Cup in Cape Town, was way back in 2001, with the visitors winning easily by 41-10.
In total, they’ve met nine times with the Vodacom Bulls winning six and DHL Western Province three. The Capetonians won the last encounter between these sides, by 16-8 in Pretoria in 2011.
