Currie Cup wrap: Lions, Sharks catch the eye in round seven

While the Bulls won again, cementing their place at the top of the pile in this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division, it was the performances by the Lions and Sharks that caught the eye this last weekend.

And it now looks as if we’re in for a very interesting and tight battle for the top two spots on the log, for that all-important home ground advantage in a few weeks’ time when the semi-finals take place.

The Bulls lead the way with 31 points after six wins from seven games, and they’re followed by the Lions (28), also with six wins, while the Cheetahs are third (24) and the Sharks (21) now fourth.

The bottom four places on the log are occupied by the Pumas (19), Western Province (14), while Griquas and Griffons, in seventh and eighth, are out of contention to make the top four.

Important wins for Lions and Sharks

In the latest round of matches, the Bulls beat their lowveld rivals, the Pumas, 40-24 in Nelspruit on Friday, but it was Saturday’s two games that got local rugby fans talking.

The Lions were in scintillating form as they hammered WP 41-22 with several young players shining at Ellis Park. They scored five tries to three, with their first half showing particularly impressive, while flank Renzo du Plessis managed to score a hat trick of tries and properly announce himself on the Currie Cup scene.

There were other quality performances by Lions players and afterwards captain Ruben Schoeman made it clear the Lions’ aim is to win the competition this season. If they continue to play the kind of rugby they delivered on Saturday, they’ll be in with a shout.

The other big result came in Bloemfontein where the Sharks shocked the Cheetahs with a try by Eduan Keyter towards the end of the game to win 25-20 as they continued their turn-around after a disappointing start to their campaign.

It was the Durbanites’ fourth match in a row without defeat, after losing their first three games in the competition.

In Sunday’s game Griquas smashed the Griffons 59-7 in Welkom.

This coming weekend, the Bulls will be favourites against Griquas at Loftus on Friday, while on Saturday Western Province entertain the Sharks in Cape Town in what could be a defining match for both teams this season. Also, later in the day, the Cheetahs host the Lions in what could be one of the matches of the competition, while on Sunday, the Griffons host the Pumas.