Four things we learned from mid-week Currie Cup action

The Cheetahs continued their march towards the Currie Cup title, the Bulls beat the Sharks and Griquas took hold of fourth place on the log in an exciting day of Currie Cup action on Wednesday.

Here are four things we learned from the latest round of matches.

Cheetahs are firm favourites for the title

The Cheetahs overcame a first half wobble to put Western Province to the sword in the second half and emerge as 24-17 victors, ending the day as the only unbeaten team left in this year’s Currie Cup.

Trailing 3-0 after an error ridden first half, the Cheetahs ran in three converted tries in the second half, while also slotting a penalty, with the visitors responding with two converted scores to go down fighting.

The result saw the Cheetahs bring up their fifth win out of five and keeps them two points ahead of the Bulls in second place and four ahead of the Sharks in third.

Sharks finally beaten

It took a powerful Bulls team full of URC stars to deal the Sharks their first defeat of this season’s Currie Cup, securing a 35-21 win at Loftus.

Despite being up against a strong side on their home turf, the Sharks weren’t overawed by the occasion and surprisingly led 18-14 going into the half-time break.

However the home side had way too much firepower and confidently ran in three converted unanswered tries in the second half, while the Sharks’ only points came from a penalty.

The Sharks now have another tough encounter against the table topping Cheetahs next Wednesday.

Massive Bulls gamble pays off

The Bulls’ gamble to pack their Currie Cup side with URC regulars paid off with a handsome win over the Sharks, leapfrogging them on the log, but it remains to be seen how the gamble will affect their URC side this weekend.

Six of the Bulls starters in their Currie Cup match also started over the weekend against Munster, while seven of the eight subs also started in that same match.

It will now be interesting to see how they fare when they face Scarlets in the URC on Friday night, which could mean a large number of them will have featured in three matches in just six days.

Griquas make a statement

Griquas made a big statement with a powerful bonus-point 49-17 win over the woeful Lions in their match in Kimberley.

Their victory over the competition’s basement dwellers wasn’t much of a statement, as the Lions have been soundly thrashed in most of their games so far.

They did, however, move eight points ahead of Western Province to put an iron grip on fourth place on the log.

With the top four moving on to the competition semifinals after the round robin phase, Griquas now have some breathing room, although they have played a game more than Province in fifth.