SO WHOSE CURRIE IS THE HOTTEST?

Sharks at flyhalf, running the game smoothly and seldom missing kicks at goal, while his kicking out of hand has been mostly pin point.

Dare we mention his brilliant dropgoal kicking ability...?

The Shark Tank

It is true that home ground advantage held little weight three weeks ago when WP won in Durban but there were only about 15 000 die-hards at that game.

Many were already saving their money for the final, never mind the semi last week!

The 55 000-seater stadium will be close to bursting point today and the vast majority of patrons will be in black and white.

The distance between Cape Town and Durban generally precludes travel for most WP fans.

A fairytale for Odwa

Province were the party poopers in the official Odwa Ndungane tribute match, but perhaps fate has had it in store that the Sharks legend gets a dream send-off today.

As fortune has decreed, the 36-yearold is starting the match in his wellworn No 14 jersey instead of playing off the bench (the original plan a few weeks ago).

Youngster Sbu Nkosi was injured in the semi-final against the Blue Bulls last week, opening the door for the revered veteran to start his 251st and final match for the Sharks.

Don’t bet against the bookies

When it comes to predicting results in sport, most of us go with our hearts rather than our heads.

That is not the case when you are running a betting agency. Cool, unbiased heads are responsible for setting the odds.

Local bookies BET.co.za have predicted a narrow victory for the home side, offering odds of 11/20 on a Sharks victory. WP can be backed at 31/20, while the draw is available at 25/1.

In handicap terms, the Sharks are slim 5.5-point favourites.

That loose trio

The Sharks might boast brute force in their back row of the Du Preez twins and Keegan Daniel, but Province’s loose forward personnel today is certainly one to watch.

Not only can they contribute to the physical battle (as seen last week), but the quickness of No 6 Sikumbuzo Notshe can put the likes of Curwin Bosch under good pressure, while his skillset speaks for itself.

Don’t forget about Nizaam Carr, a player who’s looked like a man on a mission in recent weeks.

Wilco Louw

The Sharks’ set-piece strengths need no explaining, but with a tighthead like Wilco Louw, Province have a strong counter to whatever the hosts produce at scrum time today.

At WP’s team announcement on Thursday, coach John Dobson said that they are planning on playing Louw deep into the game.

And if you look at the kind of shows he has produced at the scrum, it’s not hard to see why the Province coach wants to go with Louw for as long as he can.

With a backline like that…

Dillyn Leyds, Ruhan Nel, Huw Jones, Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla… with players like these, how can we not expect Province to hurt the Sharks in Durban?

I’m sure the visitors will do their thing against the Sharks so well that Kobus van Wyk will wish he never left the Cape only to be on the receiving end of what Province’s backline will dish up in the Shark Tank.

Willemse’s feet, Senatla’s pace, Nel’s Sevens flair, Jones’s general attacking ability and Leyds’ know-how when it comes to handling the oval ball … can anyone expect a better backline spectacle than that?

Robert du Preez’s family fuel

Robert du Preez has made it a habit of performing well against his father’s team. As Dobson said yesterday, he doesn’t know what goes on in the Du Preez WhatsApp group (yes, apparently there is one), but I’m sure the Durban Du Preez’s will be sharing any top-notch motivational chain messages with everybody but their bro in Cape Town.

I doubt he needs it anyway – I’m sure a replica of what he did against his brothers and father the last time they met should be enough to fuel another strong performance.

Curb Curwin

Curwin Bosch’s boot is the most dangerous kind of threat – he can slot penalties from anywhere and there’s always the drop-goal threat.

But maybe WP just need to rattle him a bit … you know, run hard at his channel so that he has no other option but to attempt a tackle (we all know that isn’t his favourite pastime).

Also, Province should close down his space and hit him hard.

If they manage to do that Bosch might shift his focus from the drop goal to getting the ball away as quickly as he can. Voila.