Toyota Free State Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius will join a select group of players in South African rugby to reach the magical milestone of 100 ABSA Currie Cup matches on Saturday in their clash against the EP Kings.
Pretorius made his debut for the Valke in 2006 and played in 18 matches, before moving to Kimberley where he represented Griquas in 53 matches. The star playmaker then made the move to Bloemfontein in 2012 and racked up a further 28 Currie Cup caps.
This will mark his 100th match, and his team will be hoping to mark the occasion with a possible bonus-point victory in the hope of forcing their way into the top four on the log standings.
Only four pool rounds remain, including this weekend’s clashes, and only ten points separate the first-placed DHL Western Province and sixth-placed Vodacom Blue Bulls, while all eight teams still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
In the only match on Friday the Xerox Golden Lions host the Steval Pumas in Johannesburg, and on Saturday DHL Western Province meet GWK Griquas in Cape Town, and the Vodacom Blue Bulls battle it out with the Cell C Sharks in Pretoria.
The Xerox Golden Lions will be hunting their fourth home win of the season against the Steval Pumas at Ellis Park, and should they succeed in this mission, they will keep their unbeaten record at home intact. But they are expected to face tough competition from the Nelspruit team, who trail them by only one log point, and who are desperate to bounce back from their defeat against GWK Griquas last week.
The visitors will be wary of the Xerox Golden Lions’ impressive attack, in particular, which has earned them 26 tries in six matches and four bonus points. But with the Steval Pumas having conceded only 12 tries in their six matches, they will back themselves to shut out the Johannesburg team. History, however, favours the hosts, as they have suffered only two defeats against the Steval Pumas since 1996.
DHL Western Province, meanwhile, will be determined to maintain their unbeaten record at home and simultaneously hold onto their lead at the top of the log, when they line up against GWK Griquas at DHL Newlands on Saturday September 20. The kick-off time will be 15:00. But they will be careful to write off the visitors, who are languishing at the bottom-end of the log, especially after their upset against the Steval Pumas last week.
The Cape side will place a big emphasis on good discipline in particular after GWK Griquas fullback Gouws Prinsloo kicked eight penalties last week to guide his team to victory. But the visitors will have to tighten up their defence to keep alive hopes of registering a rare win in Cape Town, as the log-leaders have scored the second highest number of tries so far in the competition.
In Port Elizabeth the EP Kings will be hunting their first victory, while the Toyota Free State Cheetahs will have their sights set on possibly improving or maintaining their log position for a possible semi-final berth. The two teams will clash on Saturday September 20. The kick-off time will be at 15:00
The Bloemfontein team will undoubtedly draw confidence from their last-gasp 30-30 draw against the Cell C Sharks last week, but with only four pool rounds remaining, the hosts will be desperate to finish their season on a high note. Solid defence, in particular, will be vital for the Kings, as the Free State side have several play-makers in their backline, including Pretorius, meaning they will have to defend like demons. The last time the teams met in the competition, was in 2001 in Bloemfontein and the Free State side won 75-21.
The clash in Pretoria is expected to be hard-fought, given the determination in both camps to find their rhythm in the competition, with an eye on securing semi-final places. The match takes place on Saturday September 20 and the kick-off time is at 17:05
The Cell C Sharks showed their fighting spirit last week by putting up a good fight against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, but the Vodacom Blue Bulls come off back-to-back victories and will look to build on this at home. Adding spice to the match, a place in the top four on the log could be at stake, as the Durban side has only a narrow two-point lead over the sixth-placed Vodacom Blue Bulls.
With the teams closely matched on attack with 14 tries apiece in their six matches, it could prove to be a nail-biting encounter. Interestingly the home team won only two of their last ten matches against the Cell C Sharks in the series, however, these victories were at home.
