Mitchell faces first test

JOHN Mitchell’s first assignment as Blue Bulls coach will be against the Pumas in Nelspruit tonight after previous coach Nollis Marais was put on gardening leave this week.

Mitchell‚ as the Bulls’ new director of rugby‚ knows the challenges he and the team face to begin their turnaround strategy.

Two wins out of five during the Currie Cup is not good enough for a team that expects to be competing for the title and there has to be a positive change starting today.

In theory‚ a match against the Pumas should be the easiest of the premier division‚ but this week the Bulls will run into a home team buoyed by a superb win over Griquas last weekend.

As a result, home coach Brent Janse van Rensburg has made only one enforced change to his team with influential flank Chris Cloete sidelined with the flu this week.

But the Pretoria side have won all five Currie Cup matches between these teams since 2011‚ with four of their victories away from home.

Western Province will be hunting their third straight win when they meet the Sharks in Cape Town‚ but they will face a challenge from the KwaZulu-Natalians‚ who have won their last four games.

The clash between the Free State Cheetahs and Golden Lions in Bloemfontein will mark a repeat of last year’s Currie Cup semifinal‚ which the hosts won 55-17.

The Gauteng outfit may have lost the last two matches against the defending champions at home‚ but they will draw inspiration from their past successes in the Free State, with wins in 2015‚ 2014 and 2012.