The final round of fixtures in the pool stages of the Absa Currie Cup takes place this weekend with no clear indication of which teams will end one through five.
There is a battle royale on the go and it is testament to the competitiveness of the tournament that every team vying for a top four finish could either improve or lose a vital position depending on the outcome of their games.
The Bulls will hope the Sharks lose, the Sharks will hope they themselves win, Western Province and the Cheetahs will hope for a Lions’ loss…
The Bulls take on the Valke this evening in the first match of the weekend and given the latter’s recent performance and log position seem destined to remain at the bottom of the log. A Bulls’ win at Loftus will take them to the top of the log for almost a day with the Sharks looking to pick up a win against Griquas on Saturday to go back to the top where they will end the pool stages.
The Free State Cheetahs are at home to Boland in what should be another home win for one of the top five, victory taking them into third place, dependant on the final match of the weekend, the semi-final clincher between Western Province and the Lions in Cape Town.
If the Lions get just one point out of the match, they will effectively knock Province out of the semis, while Province need to win by a 19 point margin, gain the bonus point and restrict the Lions to no log points to go through and knock the Lions out.
A full-strength Sharks’ side will host Griquas in the remaining game of the weekend at The Absa Stadium Durban at 3pm on Saturday. For Griquas, it is all about finishing their season on a high note and they will be playing for pride. For the Sharks, the match has two distinct aims: firstly, to win and retain their top spot on the log, and secondly and just as important, to play well.
Go Sharks go, we need the Currie Cup back!
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