Titanic scrap in prospect

Cape Town – Western Province are the hot favourites and will be aiming for a second straight Currie Cup title, but they could be in for a battle royal when they host the Sharks in the final at Newlands today.

Which of the two sides is hungriest will be determined come the 4pm kick-off, with thousands of passionate Province supporters baying for the Sharks’ blood.

Handling the conditions will be key, with a heatwave gripping the Western Cape this week as temperatures soared over 30 degrees, making a serious dent in the region’s limited water resources.

Province coach John Dobson spoke this week about their tactical errors in the 100-minute thriller against the Blue Bulls in the semifinals last week, with the men from Pretoria having cut down the home side’s space and ripped some of the life from their dangerous backline.

Dobson believed the tight semifinal was a reality check which could only benefit them, and with Joshua Stander and Damian Willemse (above) on the park, they could test Sharks fullback Curwin Bosch, who might be expected to run around the whole afternoon.

Sharks coach Robert du Preez, on the other hand, had revenge in his heart after he saw his heavily favoured team going down 33-21 at home in last year’s final after they surrendered a lead of 21-10 late in the first half.

Du Preez spoke in the buildup about their desire to take the Province pack on physically, as the only route to a possible win against a team who had yet to lose in this year’s competition.

According to Du Preez, a former Springbok scrumhalf who experienced numerous glory days as Naas Botha’s halfback partner in his heyday at the Bulls, he selected one of his three sons, Jean-Luc, at blindside flank for the showpiece, in order to assist in taking the physical battle to the hosts.

Also see Pages 42 & 43