Things to look out for in this weekend’s Currie Cup action

There’s a distinct feeling this weekend that the Currie Cup will take shape after this round’s action.

After all, the Blue Bulls are now under the tutelage of John Mitchell, the Cheetahs play their last game with a ‘first-choice XV’ and the heavyweights clash at Newlands.

Here are the things to look out for.

Will the new broom sweep?

John Mitchell, the Bulls’ director of rugby, made it clear this week that he won’t make big changes after taking over the coaching reigns.

One of the reasons why Nollis Marais was initially retained was because he shared the former All Blacks coach’s overall vision for the game.

But the results haven’t been forthcoming (again) and the patience with Marais wore thin.

It would seem that Marais truly couldn’t get his charges to perform.

And that might actually be a good sign for future results.

Just the sheer change of now playing under a big name like Mitchell should see them win against the Pumas in Mbombela on Friday evening.

Cheetahs need to lay a platform before bottoming out

It’s the last week before the Free Staters’ European adventure in the Pro14 begins.

However, there’s a problem.

Almost all of the playing resources will be invested in that tournament, leaving the Currie Cup side with scraps.

The interesting thing about the Cheetahs’ position is that a win over the Lions at home on Sunday would go a long way towards gifting them a semifinal berth.

If the rest of their opponents continue to be so inconsistent, they might not even need another win except this weekend’s one to qualify.

And that’s no bad thing given that their prospects in terms of depth look gloomy from next week.

The true contenders battle it out at Newlands

The table doesn’t tell it but the Western Province and Sharks clash will give us an indication of who is truly the frontrunner for honours in this year’s competition.

Both sides boast a substantial amount of Super Rugby talent and aren’t expected to experience much disruption further.

Province have momentum after a superb win over the Lions and the Sharks are rested.

Don’t underestimate the effect of the Durbanites’ break – they have a decent record in Cape Town and could easily burst the home side’s bubble.

Fixtures: Pumas v Blue Bulls (Friday, 7.00 pm); Western Province v Sharks (3.00 pm); Free State Cheetahs v Lions (5.15 pm).

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.