No one can catch the Cheetahs in jostle for Currie Cup semis
IT HAS been a fairytale Currie Cup for the Free State Cheetahs, who have won all seven of their matches this season‚ with one more round remaining before the semifinal stages.
The Cheetahs’ 52-10 win against the Pumas in Nelspruit on Friday night ensured that the Free State side planted their feet as the No 1 side on the Currie Cup log in the round-robin stages‚ cementing a home semifinal in Bloemfontein on October 15.
Coach Franco Smith’s side has been dominant this season‚ showing a continuation of momentum from their Super Rugby campaign.
No matter what happens when the Cheetahs face the Griquas in the last match of the round-robin stages at the Free State Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the side will not be knocked off the top spot on the log.
With 34 points on the table — four clear of the second-placed Blue Bulls‚ who have completed their complement of eight matches — no team can catch the side from Bloemfontein.
The Cheetahs will be hoping to repeat the feat of last season’s winners‚ the Golden Lions‚ who clinched the domestic title having been unbeaten throughout their campaign. The last time the Cheetahs reached a final in the Currie Cup was 2009, when they were beaten 36-24 by the Bulls. Two seasons earlier‚ the side lifted the trophy in front of their home crowd with a 20-18 victory against the Lions.
The Bulls also breathed a sigh of relief on Friday when they returned from Wellington with a bonus-point 48-26 win against Boland Cavaliers. The victory ensured a semifinal berth for the Pretoria side‚ who occupy the second spot on the log.
The Bulls will rely on a favour from Gauteng neighbours the Lions to prevent the Sharks from acquiring a bonus point on Friday‚ which could see the Durbanites and Bulls exchange places in second and third place on the log.
There will be an intense jostle for the top four finishes. Western Province occupy fourth place on the log‚ but the Lions, in fifth, and the sixth-placed Griquas could make a late surge for a knockout-round berth.
The Lions were brutal on Saturday when they scored a mammoth 11 tries and conceded only one when they beat the Eastern Province Kings 71-7 in Port Elizabeth.
Kwagga Smith helped himself to a hat-trick of tries in the slaughter, while man of the match Howard Mnisi and Jacques Nel both crossed the whitewash for two five pointers.
Western Province showed they intend to vie for the title with a 52-31 win against the Griquas in Kimberley.
This week, the Lions will host the Sharks at Ellis Park at 5pm on Friday‚ while Western Province will be at home at Newlands Stadium, where they will face Boland at 7.10pm.
In the bottom-of-the-log clash‚ the Kings and Pumas‚ who have both yet to claim a victory‚ will battle it out at in Nelson Mandela Bay at 6pm on Friday. TMG Digital