Front Row Grunt

It’s massive … Surely it cannot get any bigger than this? How can people possibly sleep, let alone contain themselves? Leopards v Pumas in Potchefstroom my friends … Now that is what rugby is all about!

It’s not on TV, so to catch a gander of this mega rugby fest, it’s to Potch you will have to trek I am afraid.

The rest of us couch potatoes will have to cope with the drivel served up in Joburg, as that is what SuperSport are handing out on Friday night …

Friday, September 03, 2010

Griquas v Free State Cheetahs, Kimberley 17:00
Referee: Sandile Mayende (SARRA)
Assistant referees: F Veldsman (AR 1), D Haasbroek (AR 2)

Head to Head (since 2005) P: 10 W: 1 L: 9 PF:  164  PA: 328

Griquas: 15. Riaan Viljoen, 14. Rocco Reginald Jansen, 13. Wilmaure Louw, 12. Barry Geel, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Naas Olivier (captain), 9. Sarel Pretorius, 8. Danie Schoeman, 7. Justin Downey, 6. Rohan Kitshoff, 5. Cecil-John Kemp, 4. Luvuyiso Lusaseni, 3. Jean Botha, 2. Ryno Barnes, 1. Steph Roberts
Bench: 16. Simon Westraadt, 17. Jacobus Adriaanse, 18. Edwin Hewitt, 19. Johan van Deventer, 20. Marnus Hugo, 21. Jean Stemmet, 22. Rudi Vogt

Cheetahs: 15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Philip Snyman, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Louis Strydom, 9. Tewis de Bruyn, 8. Ashley Johnson, 7. Christo Van der Walt, 6. Hendro Scholtz, 5. Waltie Vermeulen, 4. Francois Uys, 3. Kobus Calldo, 2. Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1. Coenie Oosthuizen
Bench: 16. Skipper Badenhorst, 17. W) Nel, 18. Izak van der Westhuizen, 19. Kabamba Floors, 20. Tertius Carse, 21. Sias Ebersohn, 22. Riaan Smit    

Always quite good humour when a Super Rugby franchise plays against one of it’s catchment area provinces, even if said Super Rugby franchise is afraid of the wooden spoon. In Kimberley, this will be a tough outing for the Cheetahs. Viljoen and Pretorius are class acts, and could cause trouble if the pack attains some form of parity. But I think not, meaning it will be the likes of Nokwe, Bosman and Ebersohn having the fun.

Key matchup: Riaan Viljoen vs Hennie Daniller
My prediction: Cheetahs by 9


Leopards v Pumas, Potchefstroom 19:00
Referee: Pro Legoete (SARRA)
Assistant referees: J Jaftha (AR1), P de Villiers (AR2)  

Head to Head (since 2005): P: 7 W: 4  L: 3  PF: 317  PA: 199  

Leopards: 15. Hendrik Dames, 14. Deon Scholtz, 13. Jovan Bowles, 12. Bernd Theisinger, 11. Dumisani Matyeshana, 10. Clayton Durand, 9. Theo van Wyk, 8. Riaan Swanepoel, 7. RW Kember, 6. Wilhelm Koch (captain), 5. Bradley Mockford, 4. Anthonie Gronum, 3. Os Van der Walt, 2. Gavin Williamson, 1. Bennie Geldenhuys Uys
Bench: 16. Pellow van der Westhuizen, 17. Johan Coetzee, 18. Edrich Linde, 19. Christo van Niekerk, 20. Theuns Kotze, 21. Cecil Dumond, 22. Kempie Rautenbach

Pumas:15. Nicky Kritzinger, 14. Braam Pretorius, 13. Shaun Venter, 12. Ashwin Scott, 11. Allister Kettledas, 10. Elgar Watts, 9. Tian Meyer, 8. Christo le Roux, 7. Torsten van Jaarsveld, 6. Corne Steenkamp, 5. Marius Coetzer, 4. Andries Kruger, 3. Ashley Buys, 2. Hannes Franklin (captain), 1. Ronnie Uys
Bench: 16. DJ Terblanche, 17. Dawie Steyn, 18. Willem Serfontein, 19. Jaco Bouwer, 20. Ricardo Croy, 21. Johan Jackson, 22. Vainon Willis                  

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Key matchup: Programme sellers vs Empty seats
My prediction: Pumas by 5   


Lions v Western Province, Johannesburg 19:10
Referee: Mark Lawrence (SARRA)
Assistant referees: A Sehlako (AR 1), L Burger (AR 2)
TMO: G Coetzee

Head to Head (since 2005): P: 11 W: 4 L: 7 PF: 222  PA: 270                    

Lions: 15. Jaco Taute, 14. Jannie Boshoff, 13. Waylon Murray, 12. Doppies la Grange, 11. Michael Killian, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Jano Vermaak, 8. Warren Whiteley, 7. Joshua Strauss, 6. Derick Minnie, 5. Franco van der Merwe (captain), 4. George Earle, 3. Ross Geldenhuys, 2. Martin Bezuidenhout, 1. JC Janse van Rensburg
Bench: 16. Edgar Marutlulle, 17. Wayne Swart, 18. Johan Snyman, 19. Renaldo Bothma, 20. JP Joubert, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Marius Delport

Western Province: 15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. JJ Engelbrecht, 13. Tim Whitehead, 12. Paul Bosch, 11. Frikkie Welsh, 10. Willem de Waal, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Nick Koster, 6. Francois Louw, 5. Anton van Zyl (captain), 4. Adriaan Fondse, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. JD Moller
Bench: 16. Callie-Theron Visagie, 17. Wicus Blaauw, 18. Buhle Mxunyelwa, 19. De Kock Steenkamp, 20. Pieter Myburgh, 21. Conrad Hoffmann, 22. Marcel Brache

Oh how the mighty have fallen!! This while the Vaalies have been on the up and up, and with Mitchell having signed to coach them in the Super15 next year, this could be the start of something beautiful at Ellis Park. But I would suggest they might have to put that beauty on hold as the WP side, full of skill, class and talent, regain some early season form and produce a display that will regain the faith of the Cape spectators.

Key matchup: Jano Vermaak vs Dewaldt Duvenage
My prediction: WP by 12    

Saturday, September 04, 2010

South Africa v Australia, Bloemfontein 17:00
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)

South Africa: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (capt), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp
Bench: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Juan de Jongh, Gio Aplon

Australia: 15. Kurtley Beale, 14. James O’Connor, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Quade Cooper, 9. Will Genia, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. David Pocock, 6. Rocky Elsom (captain), 5. Nathan Sharpe, 4. Mark Chisholm, 3. Salesi Ma’afu, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Benn Robinson            
Bench: 16. Saia Fainga’a, 17. James Slipper, 18. Dean Mumm, 19. Richard Brown20. Luke Burgess, 21. Berrick Barnes, 22. Anthony Fainga’a     

Since South Africa’s readmission to international sport in 1992, the scoreboard stands at 21 wins to Australia, 20 to South Africa, with one match drawn. But South Africa have not lost a Test match at Vodacom Park since 2000, and just eight of Australia’s previous wins have been attained on South African soil. Also, Australia last won at a high veldt venue in 1963 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, and have been beaten on their two most recent visits to Bloemfontein.

No 100 cap pick me ups, and only the Mandela Cup, and avoidance of the wooden spoon to play for. Bodies tired and over used, and a month long break to look forward to. The stadium is not sold out and a lot of Saffers are more interested in the Currie Cup game afterwards. Don’t expect intensity people, but will it be a dour arm wrestle, or more like last weekend’s Baa Baa type extravaganza?

Probably the latter, and with that all important win under their belt, and Gio Aplon on the bench to cause a little mayhem in the second half – hopefully early, and at the expense of Frans Steyn, I see messers Spies and Habana offering a little payback to their deluded coach.

Key matchup: Francois Hougaard vs Will Genia
My prediction: Boks by 9    


Blue Bulls v Sharks, Pretoria 19:15
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (SARRA)
Assistant referees: T Jonker (AR 1), J Greeff (AR2)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (Boland)

Head to Head (since 2005): P: 11 W: 2  L: 9 PF: 253  PA: 286

Blue Bulls: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Jaco Pretorius, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 10. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9. Ruan Snyman, 8. Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7. Dewald Potgieter, 6. Derick Kuun (capt), 5. Fudge Mabeta, 4. Juandre Kruger, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Bandise Maku, 1. Dean Greyling.
Bench: 16. Henry Bantjes, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Jaco Engels, 19. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 20. CJ Stander, 21. Dustin Jinka, 22. Stefan Watermeyer          

Sharks: 15. Louis Ludik, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Stefan Terblanche (captain), 12. Andries Strauss, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Patrick Lambie, 9. Charl McLeod, 8. Keegan Daniel, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Alistair Hargreaves, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira
Bench: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Eugene van Staden, 18. Michael Rhodes, 19. Skholiwe Ndlovu, 20. Rory Kockott, 21. Andre Pretorius, 22.Riaan Swanepoel    

Perhaps more intriguing then the game at 15h00! The Bulls will be hurting after their horrendous loss to the Pumas last weekend, and very scratchy form before that, and keen to show their Loftus faithful that they are not yet dustbin material, but they are up against the form side of the tournament right now. And it’s a side that has a really powerful bench – something the Kiwis proved to be vital in Pretoria!

Key matchup: Jacques-Louis Potgieter vs Patrick Lambie
My prediction: Sharks by 7    

Friday night requires some travel, unless you live in Potch that is, and please guys – remember to buy your tickets before you go. Don’t just expect to pitch up and get a ticket at the gate!

Saturday is another of those very clever SARU/SuperSport days that sees the Boks play the curtain raiser to the Bulls vs Sharks. Bloem boys, it’s a box ticket or a speedy jaunt through to the Mystic Boer after the Test. Pretoria boys it’s a walk through Bees Roux’s neighborhood to catch the Test, and then onto Loftus, and for the rest of us it’s a perfect evening for emptying a cooler box and tanning a tjoppie while taking in what I hope to be two entertaining games of rugby …

Enjoy,
Tank

PS – I am pretty chuffed to be a finalist in this year's SA Blog Awards. Feel free to cast a vote by clicking on the badge on the right hand side of this post if you have enjoyed a sentence or two of the rubbish I post ... Thanks

With the Club Champs kickoff just over two weeks away, only Eastern Province have yet to confirm their champions.

The Eastern Province Grand Challenge semi-finals will take place at the EPRU Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Friday, with Gardens taking on champions Park at 18h30, followed by SAPS vs Progress at 20h00.

It’s a pretty spicy club league, with Varsity Cup side NMMU finishing only fourth in Pool B, and 2008 champions Despatch managing just three wins in their 12 matches to finish a lowly sixth in the same group.

Police will represent Border at the tournament after they beat defending champions Buffalo 23-16 in a nail biting the Premier League final played at the Buffalo City Stadium last week. It’s the Bobbies’ first title since 1994.

Roses United will be Boland’s representatives after finishing top of the Premier League log this season.

The Club Champs place from 18-24 September at the University of Stellenbosch, and will feature 14 provincial champions, title holders Hamiltons and invited team Noordelike in a 16-team draw.

UJ will look to end an 18-year title drought with a tough fixture against fellow Varsity Cup side Tuks. Then still known as RAU, UJ last won the tournament in 1992 when they beat Pretoria side Harlequins in the final. Since then, the Johannesburg students have reached three finals – in 1997, 1998 and 2005 – losing to Maties each time.

UJ coach Hugo Van As believed the presence of many of UJ’s Varsity Cup rivals, including Tuks, would make it a tough week. “If you have to play two or three varsity sides in one week and you pull through, then you really deserve that title,” he said. “I believe that there are a lot of factors that go into determining whether you win, including the draw.

“We’ve however had a good run in the league with our squad system and I think it will benefit us in a tournament like the club champs. During the week you have to use your 25 or 26 players. There’s no way you can play so many games with the same players.”

The draw for the first round of the SAA Club Champs is:

1 Hamilton (defending champions, WP) vs 16 Noordelike (Limpopo Blue Bulls)
2 Pukke (Leopards) vs 15 Middelburg (Mpumalanga)
3 College Rovers (KwaZulu-Natal) vs 14 Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere (Griffons)
4 Springs (Valke) vs Mossel Bay Barbarians (SWD)
5 Maties (Western Province) vs Kimberley Police (Griqualand West)
6 UJ (Golden Lions) vs 11 Tuks (Blue Bulls)
7 Roses United (Boland) vs Shimlas (Free State)
8 Police (Border) vs Eastern Province (tbc)

I am trying to sort out a massive braai on the final Friday (24th September) of the tournament in honour of National Braai day, but am struggling to get the Maties to commit to anything ...

Cheers,

Tank

PS - Very chuffed to be a finalist in this year's SA Blog Awards. Feel free to cast a vote by clicking on the badge on the right hand side of this post if you have enjoyed a sentance or two of the rubbish I post ... Thanks

Not sure I have been this silent on the Grunt during a rugby season for a very long time. Apologies, but a trip to the Hantam Vleis Fees with 9 other Cheerful Chunkies will do that to you.

Eight of us went up in the “One Ton Party Bus” – aptly named in that the combined weight of the eight protagonists easily takes us over the one ton mark, and it’s not exactly a library atmosphere inside the bus!

Lamb tjoppies, lamb ribs, lamb potjiekos, “Skaapkoppe” and “skillpadjies” are all washed down with copious quantities of Brandy and Coke, sold at liver quaking prices. A trip round the stalls at the outdoor expo will see you witness a sheep being sheered, a procession of tractors from the various bygone eras and offer you the chance to purchase any form of biltong you could imagine, a t-shirt in the colours of the old SA flag, a sheep skin jacket or slipper, and even a “Bok se gat” which is a stuffed Springbok hindquarter that allows for your favourite hard tack to be poured out of it’s pink starfish!

It’s not for the feint hearted … The Bok vs Aus Test watching took place at the Calvinia Rugby Club – host to the entire Hantam festival. To be honest, it was just one heaving mass of brandy fuelled, loud mouthed humanity. It was more about just finding a spot that had a view of the semi big screen, rather than actually watching the rugby … It was a lot of fun, but did not make for in depth analysis!

I did get a chance to watch a recording of the Test yesterday evening though, and not wanting to be a “Johnny Come Lately” rehashing things that have already been said, this was my takeout …

• That is the worst start to a Test match by a Bok side that I have ever seen.
• Quite clearly the pressure was off, the All Blacks having destroyed all before them, and this turned into a bit of a Baa Baa free for all.
• Had both sides played that type of rugby against the All Blacks, they would have taken 30 or 40 points.
• That said, it was incredibly gutsy fight back from the Boks, and the win will no doubt breed a few necessary smiles and confidence.
• As predicted, Francois Steyn was way off the pace. Why drop Gio Aplon for that?
• Speaking of which, if the All Blacks can resist breaking their rule re not selecting overseas based players, even with Carl Heyman available to them, why are we so quick to chase players like Steyn, Butch James and Jean de Villiers?
• Francois Hougaard was immense! The man is a seriously gifted rugby player. Feeling a little silly re picking Ricky over and over Div?
• Juan Smith proved again that he is a class above most international players.
• Bryan Habana had an absolute shocker and is quite clearly trying too hard. The man needs some time away from rugby – now!
• Pierre Spies was again too quiet, especially in a game that should have seen him roving around a lot more, making an impact with ball in hand.
• Jacque Fourie, yet again, showed his value to this Bok side, it being key to have a centre who can break the line.
• I thought Chiliboy, hopefully once and for all, proved that he is an international class player, and deserving of more time between the white lines. Imagine if Div had pulled Smit last week?
• Speaking of imagining, and yes, I know life is full of "What if's", just imagine the Aussies had scored in the 77th minute when they were all over the Bok tryline, and won the game by 1 point. It really was that close.

It was a funny old Test match, and I just hope that a single win will not paper over what are quite clearly cracks in this Springbok setup – cracks I have brought up pretty often here on the Grunt.

Tank

PS - After my seriously pathetic prediction weekend, I drop to 36th place in the Front Row Grunt SuperBru pool, while Rookie, as he has done since week one, still tops the table. Three quarters of a point behind him come Primate and Swannie - our yellow cap for the weekend ...

Having been up in Swaziland for the Toyota RuffStuff Challenge and thus away from a computer and cell phone (I am far too tight to fire up international roaming), I could not reply to comments on my blog post calling for Div’s head, or have a say on the Bok side selected to take on the Aussies! In this connected world, I felt so alienated it was scary … But there was Black Label, a great event that you can read about on Sport24, and a truly exquisite countryside to explore …

This messiness and lack of connection continues this weekend as the Cheeerful Chunkies head to the Hantam Vleis Fees in Calvinia for the 7th time. Ten (big) boys, one combi, several thousand lamb martyrs, copious litres of Klipdrift and great vats of Black Label … You can perhaps understand that the main focus this weekend might not be the rugby …

Swoon! Yep, I am afraid so … So please take this preview and the predictions from whence it comes!

The rugby weekend …

Friday

Sharks v Griquas
Kick off: 19h00
The Absa Stadium Durban, Durban
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (SARRA)
Assistant referees: L van der Merwe (AR 1), R Rossouw (AR 2)

Head to Head: P: 11 W: 9 L: 2  PF: 436  PA: 205                    

Sharks: 15. Monty Dumond, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Stefan Terblanche (Captain), 12. Andries Strauss, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Patrick Lambie, 9. Charl McLeod, 8. Keegan Daniel, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Alistair Hargreaves, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Wiehahn Herbst, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira
Bench: 16. Craig Burden, 17. Eugene van Staden, 18. Anton Bresler, 19. Michael Rhodes, 20. Rory Kockott, 21. Andre Pretorius, 22. Riaan Swanepoel

Griquas: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Richard Lawson, 13 Wilmaure Louw, 12 Barry Geel, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Naas Olivier (captain), 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Burger Schoeman, 7 Rohan Kitshoff, 6 Davon Raubenheimer, 5 Cecil-John Kemp, 4 Michael Passaportis, 3 Jean Botha, 2 Ryno Barnes, 1 Steph Roberts
Bench: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Jacobie Adriaanse/Ivann Espag, 18 Johan van Deventer, 19 Gerhard Human, 20 Marnus Hugo, 21 Rocco Jansen, 22 Rudi Vogt

Griquas, and especially skipper and goal kicker Naas Olivier, who failed to convert a try scored by Bjorn Basson in the final minute of play which would have handed his side their fifth victory of the season, will be hurting after last weekend’s heartache in Pretoria.

But it will not get any easier on Durban, even though they managed to defeat The Sharks 40-34 earlier in the season. That was at GWK Park against a very different side now on the Currie Cup charge. The hosts are currently the leading try-scoring side (31) and have also been the most attacking side to date.

Key matchup: Monty Dumond vs Riaan Viljoen
My prediction: Sharks by 16


Lions v Leopards
Kick off: 19h00
Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg.
Referee: Craig Joubert (SARRA)
Assistant referees: L Burger (AR 1), C du Preez (AR 2)

Head to Head: P: 5 W: 5 L: 0 PF:  195  PA: 93    

Lions: 15. Jaco Taute, 14. Jannie Boshoff, 13. Waylon Murray, 12. Doppies la Grange, 11. Michael Killian, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Jano Vermaak, 8. Warren Whiteley, 7. Joshua Strauss, 6. Renaldo Bothma, 5. Franco van der Merwe (captain), 4. Johan Snyman, 3. Ross Geldenhuys/Ruan Dreyer, 2. Martin Bezuidenhout, 1. JC Janse van Rensburg
Bench: 16. Edgar Marutlulle, 17. Wayne Swart, 18. George Earle, 19. Derek Minnie/Jaco Kriel, 20. JP Joubert, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Pieter Engelbrecht

Leopards:15 Jan van Zyl, 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 Jovan Bowles, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Shuaib Samaai, 10 Neill Jacobs, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Riaan Swanepoel, 7 Reginald Kember, 6 Wilhelm Koch (captain), 5 Anthonie Gronum, 4 Brad Mockford, 3 Barend van der Walt, 2 Gavin Williamson, 1 Bennie Uys
Bench: 16 Marthinus van der Westhuizen, 17 Johan Coetzee, 18 Edrich Linde, 19 Christo van Niekerk, 20 Jean Tiedt, 21 Clayton Durand, 22 Danie Dames      

Could a game get more snore inducing? These Leopards are hopeless, and the Lions are like a lucky packet – you have no idea what is going to pop out. Elton Jantjies is a really exciting little flyhalf though, so perhaps he will be given the space to shine.

Key matchup: Elton Jantjies vs Neill Jacobs
My prediction: Lions by 18


Pumas v Blue Bulls
Kick off: 19h10
Mbombela Stadium. Nelspruit
Referee: Stuart Berry (SARRA)
Assistant Referees: Q Immelman (AR 1), S Breytenbach (AR 2)

Head to Head: P: 3 W: 0 L: 3 PF:  35  PA: 152          

Pumas: 15. Nicky Kritzinger, 14. Vainon Willis, 13. Shaun Venter, 12. Tian Meyer, 11. Allistair Kettledas, 10. Elgar Watts, 9. Jacques Coetzee, 8. Doppies le Roux, 7. Torsten van Jaarsveld, 6. Corné Steenkamp, 5. Marius Coetzer, 4. Andries Kruger, 3. Ashley Buys, 2. Hannes Franklin (captain), 1. Ronnie Uys.
Bench: 16. Dee Jay Terblanche, 17. Dawie Steyn, 18. Boela Serfontein, 19. Eduan van der Walt, 20. Ricardo Croy, 21. Ashwin Scott, 22. Jaco Bouwer

Blue Bulls: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Jaco Pretorius, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Hayden Groepes, 10. Francois Brummer, 9. Dustin Jinka, 8. Dewald Potgieter, 7. CJ Stander, 6. Derick Kuun (captain), 5. Juandre Kruger, 4. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Bandise Maku, 1. Dean Greyling
Bench: 16. Henry Bantjes, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Fudge Mabeta, 19. Okkie Kruger, 20. Ruan Snyman, 21. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22. Jaco van der Westhuyzen

The most exciting thing about this match is that we get to see a World Cup stadium in action again!  The hosts are currently in seventh position on the log with just the single win, but they are a gutsy lot, and are up against a side that almost cocked it up against Griquas last weekend.

Wynand Olivier, Dewald Potgieter and Zane Kirchner are all back, though, and I do not see the Bulls messing this one up.

Key matchup: Ronnie Uys vs Werner Kruger
My prediction: Bulls by 14


Western Province v Cheetahs
Kick off: 19h30
Newlands Stadium. Cape Town
Referee: Pro Legoete (SARRA)
Assistant referees: R Rashivenga (AR 1), E Daniels (AR2)
TMO: JC Fortuin

Head to Head: P: 11 W: 6 L: 5 PF:  232  PA:  224

Western Province: 15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Tim Whitehead, 12. Paul Bosch, 11. Frikkie Welsh, 10. Willem de Waal, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Nick Koster, 6. Francois Louw, 5. Anton van Zyl (captain), 4. Adriaan Fondse, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw
Bench: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Buhle Mxunyelwa, 18. JD Moller, 19. De Kock Steenkamp, 20. Pieter Myburgh, 21. Conrad Hoffmann, 22. Lionel Cronje

Cheetahs: 15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Philip Snyman, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Louis Strydom, 9. Tewis de Bruyn, 8. Ashley Johnson, 7. Christo Van der Walt, 6. Hendro Scholtz, 5. Waltie Vermeulen, 4. Francois Uys, 3. Kobus Calldo, 2. Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1. Coenie Oosthuizen
Bench: 16. Skipper Badenhorst, 17. WP Nel, 18. Izak van der Westhuizen, 19. Kabamba Floors, 20. Tertius Carse, 21. Sias Ebersohn, 22. Riaan Smit

History suggests that there will be very little separating WP and the Cheetahs  when these side meet. It’s 6-5 to WP in their last 11 games. However at Newlands, WP have won four of their last five games against the Free State outfit.

The key ingredient, though, is that WP welcome back their Springbok duo of winger Gio Aplon and flanker Francois Louw, while Free State continue without Juan Smith. I reckon last week’s slip up in Durban will be proved to be just that – a slip up.

Key matchup: Tim Whitehead vs Robert Ebersohn
My prediction: WP by 12

Saturday

South Africa v Australia
Kick off: 17:00
Loftus Versveld, Pretoria

South Africa: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp
Bench: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Butch James, 22 Juan de Jongh    
 
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faainga, 1 Benn Robinson.
Bench: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ben McCalman, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Faainga.

History is not on the Boks side – just! Since South Africa’s readmission to international sport in 1992, the teams have met 42 times, Australia winning 21, South Africa 19, and one drawn. But at Loftus Versfeld there have been 29 Tests featuring the Springboks, and they have won 21 of those and lost 8. The Boks have lost just two of their last 10 Tests at the ground since 2000, both of those to the All Blacks.

I saw the selections of Frans Steyn and Jean de Villiers over Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh as steps backward. In today’s high paced game, Div seems hell bound on sticking to slowing the game down and going with the boot. Why? Aplon and De Jongh are the future. Why delay?

 Giving Pierre Spies yet another shot at the title is brutally unfair on the likes of Kankowski and Vermeulen. Bryan Habana can also count himself lucky to get another bite at the cherry. These two players are in massive debt to Div, and I presume the coach hopes this weekend will see some payback …

Another Tri-Nations weekend, another weekend where the Boks go into battle without a fetcher, this time dropping the only fetcher in the initial squad right out of the match 22! I had some time to smash a few cold ones with Corne Krige in Swaziland earlier in the week, and we are both very much on the same page on this. Now his opinion, as a man with bent and buckled fingers, nose, mouth and ears to prove the value of a fetcher, I value …

Key matchup: Schalk Burger vs David Pocock
My prediction: Aussies by 4

It’s a pretty spicy split with all the Currie Cup games taking place on the Friday, and then a massive break before the Test at five on Saturday. To the stadium or tjoppie tanning on Friday evening, lots of time on Saturday morning to do the Earl Grey and strawberry scone thing with your demented aunty Jemima, and then serious biltong bashing and Coleman draining in the build up to the Test. Not the worst weekend …

If there is no blog post on Monday, you at least know that I went to my maker in the best possible way …

Tank

Defending champs Hamiltons, of Western Province, will begin the defence of their title against Limpopo champions, Noordelike, in the main match on the opening day of the 2010 tournament.

This year’s Club Champs takes place at Maties from Saturday 18 to Friday 24 September and, in addition to Hammies and Noordelike, will feature the country’s 14 provincial champions in a 16-team first-round draw.

Hammies’ heroics in the 2009 final, when they beat Pukke 36-34 at Loftus Versfeld, sees them seeded first after SARU’s competitions committee decided for the first time this year to automatically invite the defending champions – even if they had not won their respective provincial title.

Pukke, as perennial Leopards champions, are seeded second, with last year’s losing semifinalists College Rovers (for a fifth consecutive year) and Springs, third and fourth respectively.

The 13 teams confirmed so far are Kimberley Police (Griqualand West), Springs (Valke), Noordelike (Limpopo), Bethlehem Oud Skoliere (Griffons), Hamilton (WP), UJ (Golden Lions), Tuks (Blue Bulls), Mossel Bay Barbarians (SWD), College Rovers (KZN), Middelburg (Mpumalanga), Maties (WP), Shimlas (Free State) and Pukke (Leopards).

The full draw for the first round, with provincial seedings, is:

1 Hamiltons vs 16 Noordelike (Match A)
2 Pukke vs 15 Middelburg (B)
3 College Rovers vs 14 Bethlehem Oud Skoliere (C)
4 Springs vs 13 Mossel Bay Barbarians (D)
5 Maties vs 12 Kimberley Police (E)
6 UJ vs 11 Tukkies (F)
7 Boland vs 10 Shimlas (G)
8 Border vs 9 EP (H)

The eight first-round winners will qualify for the Premier quarter-finals on Monday 20 September. The eight losers will battle it out for the Plate, with semi-finals in both divisions taking place on Wednesday 22 September. The Premier and Plate finals will take place at the Danie Craven Stadium on the Heritage Day public holiday, with kickoff times to be confirmed.

The draw for the quarter-finals is as follows:

Premier:
Winner A vs Winner H            (Match I)
Winner B vs Winner G            (J)
Winner C vs Winner F            (K)
Winner D vs Winner E            (L)

Plate:
Loser A vs Loser H                 (Match M)
Loser B vs Loser G                 (N)
Loser C vs Loser F                 (O)
Loser D vs Loser E                 (P)

The semi-final draw is as follows:

Premier:
Winner I vs Winner L
Winner J vs Winner K

Plate:
Winner M vs Winner P
Winner N vs Winner O

So there is no chance of an all Cape final given that Maties and Hammies would meet in a semi final if they were to win their first two games of the tournament ...

Good week to be out at Maties though. That Friday the final is being played on, is National Braaiday ...

Cheers

Tank