TRUTH BE TOLD

Bjorn Basson – doing what he does best!

A while ago when the Blue bulls started showing interest in Basson , I was dumb struck when some bulls fans questioned if Basson was really “that good” … he is currently the leading try scorer in the Currie cup, playing for the Griquas, a team lying in 6th position on the log, but who aren’t doing too bad, they have a slight chance of still reaching the semi’s, but most would feel they’ll miss out on a semi final spot once again this year. Bjorn Basson received a bok call up earlier this year, and although he expected the call up, even he was surprised by how early it came. but a lot has changed since then, and he is probably the best player in the Currie cup. he scored a hat trick against Western Province last week to capture an all important bonus point for his side. 

Griquas wing Bjorn Basson is gunning for a Currie Cup try-scoring record that has stood for 21 years, and he’s not shy to say it either.

The 23-year-old has scored 17 tries this season, and is now just two short of the record jointly held by “Prince of Wings” Carel du Plessis (1989) and Colin Lloyd (2006).

Most players would simply say they’re “taking it one game at a time”, but Basson is determined to score three more tries in the next two matches to take sole custody of the record.

“Not knowing if we’ll make the play-offs has definitely given me the motivation to score the tries I need in the next two matches,” Basson said.

“I’m leaving Griquas at the end of the season. (Basson is joining the Bulls.) I’d love to break the record and leave something behind for the team to remember me by.”

Griquas take on the Pumas in Witbank this weekend – certainly a match in which Basson will have opportunities to score.

So far this season the Pumas have leaked 485 points and 65 tries.

The last time the sides met, in Kimberley last month, Griquas scored 58 points. Basson did not play due to injury, otherwise the record might already be his today.

He has failed to score in only three of the 11 matches he has played, while scoring hat-tricks against the Blue Bulls and last week against Western Province, as well as claiming a four-try haul against the Sharks.

Griquas’ final pool match is against the Bulls in Kimberley, and he won’t want to leave it until then to try and secure the record.

“I suppose the ball has been running for me a little this year, but I have been working harder than in the past in terms of looking for work,” Basson said.

“I don’t believe that a wing should stand and wait for things to happen. You’ve got to go and look for ways to make things happen.

“If you wait, you’ll be watching a whole game pass you by. But I’m not just a try scorer.

“Defensively I’m up there with the best wings because technically I work quite hard. I’m not the biggest guy, and I don’t put in the biggest hits, but what I do is shadow players and put them in two minds, and that can be to my advantage.”

Basson made his Test debut against Wales in June, and is almost guaranteed to be part of the Boks’ end-of-year tour to Britain and Ireland.

He’s keen to wear the green and gold again, but with a move to Pretoria after the Currie Cup coinciding with the birth of his first child he says if he isn’t selected for the tour he won’t be too upset.

Most tries by a player

most will agree that some records just seem unbreakable, and when Carel du Plessis scored 19 tries in one season in the Currie cup, few expected someone to better this incredible feat, and some did come close, the Blue Bulls’ Ettienne Botha was an amazing talent, he scored 18 tries in 2004, and although it was a great achievement, he just fell short of that elusive 19th try which would’ve equaled the record. Colin Lloyd equaled the record in the first devision of the Currie cup in 2006, 

with two games left in this years tournament,

Griquas vs Pumas (away)

Griquas vs Blue Bulls (home) 

the question on everybody’s mind is, will Basson be able to score at least 2 more tries this season to equal the Currie cup record of Carel du Plessis of “the most tries scored by a player in one season” ??

Safe money should be on Swallows 

after watching the Chiefs vs Pirates game the weekend, where pirates miraculously won the match, I believe Moroka Swallows should have enough striking power and willingness to play soccer (which pirates lack) to easily beat the sea rovers. I actually managed to watch the  whole dreadfully boring semi final between chiefs and pirates, these two teams have a mutual respect for each other that goes unmatched, both teams knew their opponent’s goalkeeper is world class and therefor they decided there would be no use in trying to score goals, this was evident in both teams inability to create opportunities…with frontmen like Knowledge Musona, Abia Nale , Simphiwe  shabalala, chiefs were favourites to win, but were also expected to score goals. but their inform striker and his creative help around him were all quite disappointing. 

before the game started, the commentator referred to the other semi final, and the fact that 5 goals were scored, and that it was a great spectacle, he also hoped  and expected something similar from pirates and chiefs, sadly our expectations weren’t met, not even close. both these teams appeared lackluster and without any hunger, when the end of the 90min’s came closer,  a 0-0 score was almost inevitable, I’ve watched a few Soweto derbies, but I have to be honest, although big crowds still show up and the hype and expectations are still there, the great Soweto derby matches just aren’t that great. 

Katlego Mashego scored the only game of the match when he tripped over his feet and accidentally knocked the ball into the back of the net, he has been labelled the great Mashego, but again nothing great about the goal he scored or his time on the park. One player who did impress, one who has been impressive in each game he feutured but for some reason again started from the bench was Tlou Segolela, most teams have struggled to defend against his speed, and he poses a big threat to Swallows, should he be promoted to the starting line-up.  

if Siyabonga Nomvete is fit, be prepared to see some goals, he was inspirational in their match against Ajax. Swallows came out tops 3-2

Saturday 02 October 2010

Orlando Pirates  vs Moroka Swallows     Moses Mabhida Stadium  20:15

my prediction: 2-1 Morka Swallows

Hanjo

I have decided to name my team of the week, I will select 15 players, the player who performed the best in his position during the previous weeks matches. I will also state why I selected the player in question. seeing that this is only my opinion, and I only watch the games as a spectator, you may disagree with some of my selections, so feel free to give your opinion. these are the results of the past weekend: 

1. Coenie Oosthuizen (Cheetahs)

-he is continuing with his strong form at the cheetahs, and if we weren’t as spoiled for choice at loose head this man could’ve easily been our first choice in the green and gold, one to watch for the future)  

2. Deon Fourie (WP)

- explosive runner with ball in hand, had a big hand in his team’s victory (honorable mention:Adriaan Strauss and Edgar Marutlulle who was just everywhere after coming on from the bench)

3. Eugene van Staden (Sharks)

- SA’s tighthead worries seem to be a thing of the past as another tighthead has emerged as a potential future Bok.

4. Franco van der Merwe (Lions)

- led the lions to yet another impressive victory, he also scored a try (honorable mention: Flip van der Merwe who had a solid game) 

5. Anton van Zyl (WP)

- the province captain lead his pack from the front, it was only shortly after he was subbed that they lost their composure in defense.  

6. Derrick Kuun (Blue Bulls)

- scored a try and played a strong game

7. Willem Alberts (Sharks)

- was the best sharks forward on the park

8. Joshua strauss (Lions)

- may be unknown to many but in the game against the sharks, his ball carrying was just another element that placed the lions on top.  ( honorable mention: Gerrit-jan van Velze and Ashley Johnson both getting on the score sheet) 

9. Francois Hougaard (Blue Bulls)

- on a night where the bulls weren’t exactly dominating, he added a great try to his already strong performance(honorable mention Jano Vermaak, Charl Mcleod  

10. Willem de Waal (WP)

- de Waal took back his rightful place at the top of the point scorers table, on a weekend where Lambie and Jantjies both missed a few kicks. 

11. Bjorn Basson (Griquas)

-  he scored another hat-trick and led the Griquas’ fightback ( honorable mention: , Lwazi Mvovo)

12. Doppies la Grange (Lions)

- man of the match against the Sharks, his composure, strong defense and strong ball carrying makes him one of the most underrated players in SA (Honorable mention: Jean de Villeirs) 

13. Robert Ebersohn (Cheetahs)

- good attacking player (honorable mention: Juan de Jongh and Waylon Murray close call between the three of them)

14. JJ Engelbreght (WP)

- the youngster completed his hat trick before half time to stake his claim for a starting position in province’s Bok filled backline

15. Jaco Taute (Lions)

- scored a great try, he had a strong running game at the back

Hanjo

Jaco Taute

The Xerox Lions will be without impressive young fullback Jaco Taute for the remainder of the Absa Currie Cup league stages, after a shoulder injury put him out of action for at least three weeks.

Taute walked off the field in his side’s 22-20 win over the Sharks this past weekend with his arm in a sling, with Lions officials hoping he would not be sidelined should they qualify for the playoff rounds of the Currie Cup competition.

On Monday, however, Taute underwent a scan that showed no torn ligaments but he will still need some rest before returning to the field.

Luckily for them this injury took place after their inform winger, Deon van Rensburg recovered from his own injury. van Rensburg returned to the playing field from the bench against the Sharks. 

Deon van Rensburg

In this year’s Currie cup, a lot of praise has been given to the left wingers in the competition, seeing that the two top try scorers are left wings in Bjorn Basson and Lwazi Mvovo, the right wings have been quiet in comparison, so naming the top right wing in this year’s competition required some thought…. van Rensburg missed a couple of games, but before he picked up the injury he was without a doubt the best in his position, when he came off the bench, one could see he was eager to get involved. 

van Rensburg’s place on the right wing was taken by Michael Killian,and Jannie Boshoff was played on the left. Boshoff should retain his position on the left wing, where he impressed. As these things often happen in rugby, the injury to Taute will be the perfect opportunity for van Rensburg to return to the right wing, 

Jannie Boshoff

The Fullback spot should be filled by the Lions’ top player in the super14, Michael Killian, although he has not yet reached the form he produced when playing in the super14, he is a player I rate highly, he is able to play right across the back three, personally I feel his move to the wing and the fact that the opposition have been keeping a close eye on him has been the reason for his good rather than outstanding Currie cup season so far. Killian’s move to the back, if the coach decides to take my advice, is one that excites me, his pace and low center of gravity will surely trouble the Cheetahs this weekend. 

Michael Killian

although I am impressed by the young Jaco Taute, I do feel this weekend’s back three will have more spark with Killian at fullback, and if the lions spread the ball wide as often as they’d like , tries will be scored! I’m not a Lions supporter, but one can only admire the turn around they’ve made from the super14, and they are playing an attractive brand of rugby. a win over the Cheetahs this coming weekend, will be seen as an upset, but the Lions have a realistic chance of reaching the semi’s, they took down the log leading sharks… and even if it was at home , they were impressive enough to convince me they are capable of beating the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. 

Hanjo

Here in South-Africa, fans would be understandably upset if a union’s starting lineup contained more than two foreign players, knowing how SA supporters love to complain, there would be no tolerance with any coach deciding to buy his dream team filled with international superstars. He would be publicly executed, if he’s lucky. Seeing that club rugby in Europe is a little different from our Provincial rugby, and a lot less emphasis is put on creating players who are able to represent the national team. the two can’t really be compared. But I read an excellent postby Naphy , although it was about football rather than rugby. He suggested in this post that the English football team were as average as they were in the SWC because of the number of foreign players in the top clubs, the English premier league was no longer the breeding ground of young English talent, or at least to a lesser extent than it should be.

It appears that rugby in the northern hemisphere has taken the same approach to the way they are constructing their teams, the top clubs are no longer filled with players from that country, but coaches and managers are instead quick to snap up southern hemisphere talent, to bolster their squads. at the moment , it may still appear to be in a controllable state, but these cash strapped clubs seem to have no limit, players from all over plan from a young age to spend a few years in Europe to grow their pension funds. You can’t really blame them, I would almost certainly have done the same if I had the opportunity to spend some time overseas and get paid ridiculous amounts of money to do so.

French rugby has taken the lead when it comes to transforming their squads unrecognizable . The fans watching these clubs play probably couldn’t care less, because they get to see international names battle it out week in and out, this wasn’t really the initial intention of this post, I just stumbled onto this while I was deciding where I stand on Dan Carter’s greed accusations by Mourad Boudjellal,  Toulon owner.

  All Blacks star Dan Carter has been accused by Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal of asking for crazy money to play in France.  Carter, 28, is one of a number of international starts who are drawing the interest of wealthy Top 14 clubs in France. In a column for French newspaper L’Equipe, Boudjellal says Carter is asking for $2.2 million a year or $42,300 a week to return to France after next year’s World Cup.

But Boudjellal, who has spent millions to take Toulon out of the French second division and get them into the Heineken Cup, claims Carter is going too far. Boudjellal, who is looking to re-sign England playmaker Jonny Wilkinson, says Carter may be pricing himself out of the market.

Carter, who has represented New Zealand 74 times, had a spell on loan at Perpignan in 2008 where he reputedly earned as much as £30,000 per game.The world’s highest-paid player is Sebastien Chabal, who pulls in a cool $1.8m a season from Paris club Racing Metro.

It is believed Carter is looking for a deal to play after next year’s World Cup in New Zealand. His previous stint overseas with Perpignan was disastrous. He snapped his Achilles tendon after just five games.

He has spoken in the past about returning to France but also says he could remain in New Zealand.

In March he told The Press newspaper: “I have always said I would really like to just make a decision after this year, when I know if I am really enjoying my rugby or not.

“If I am enjoying my rugby at the end of the year as much as I am now I can’t see any reason why I would want to shoot off straight away.”

But judging by Boudjellal’s comments Carter’s management are already looking at options and if they can seal a deal in France worth anywhere near $2.2m there is absolutely no chance of him staying here.

If Carter is looking at a three-year deal it leaves it open for him to return to New Zealand in time for the 2015 World Cup in England. By that time he will be 33.

Boudjellal said last week the club wanted to keep current fly-half incumbent Jonny Wilkinson “at any price.”L’Equipe highlighted other star players who could be lured to France after next year’s cup.

It listed Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu, Josevata Rokocoko, Shalk Burger, Victor Matfield, Matt Giteau, Rocky Elsom and Pierre Spies.

the big spending Toulon side have lured some big names in the past, Carl Hayman, Jonny Wilkinson, Tana Umaga, George Gregan, Sonny Bill Williams, George Smith , Joe van Niekerk , and Rudi Wulf just to name a few.  

Next year, when the bulk of senior All Blacks coming off contract will have to commit their post-World Cup futures, Toulon will be in a frenzy.

is this really the way forward?

Carl Hayman – close to  $1.2 million

Jonny Wilkinson – close to  £1m

Dan Carter – Priceless 

For everything else there’s MasterCard.. I Guess 

Hanjo

I was shocked when I saw this headline next to the road. it seems the “Bees ‘ are far from over…..

yes… I couldn’t believe it either….

have a look…

here

Hanjo

Beeld: “Woede oor “Bees” geslag in voortuin”

We all know the situation, Mapoe wanted to sign with the Sharks, he was still on contract with the Cheetahs, they weren’t too happy about it, and decided they wont just let this go. The whole thing blew up as the Sharks stuck to their plans of securing Mapoe’s services, and the Cheetahs didn’t budge. it went to a arbitration court where it was decided that Mapoe is still legally binded through his contract to the Cheetahs, and that he should return to Bloemfontein to serve out his sentence(contract). he however refused to return to duty, and stayed in Durban where he trained with the sharks. the Cheetahs have gone as far as to get an court interdict which would force Lionel Mapoe to return to the team. 

More recently, reports have it that the Sharks and Cheetahs were trying to come to an agreement over a transfer fee that would allow Mapoe to be released from the Cheetahs and join the Sharks legally. But the Cheetahs have been uncooperative to a point where it leaves one thinking this isn’t about money at all, rather about proving a point! the Cheetahs demanded a transfer fee of R1.5-million for Mapoe, the Sharks offered R750 000 but it was refused. The Cheetahs played further hardball by refusing Springbok sevens coach Paul True’s request to use Mapoe for next month’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India

The transfer fee paid for Bjorn Basson by the Blue Bulls recently was reported to be R1-million, which indicates the Cheetahs’ demands are way too high. the Sharks’ offer is believed to be above market-related transfer fee. the whole dispute began when Mapoe felt he was earning too little for being a senior player in the team, and declared his contract invalid, informing the Cheetahs that he was preparing to take up a contract with the Sharks, Mapoe feels he was discriminated against because of his skin colour and paid up to 7 times less than a white player in the same category. An example is fellow sevens Bok Robert Ebersohn who allegedly earns R700 00 per season while Mapoe was still on R100 000 per season. 

The Cheetahs have asked judge Corne van Zyl to rule that Mapoe be forced to resume training with the Cheetahs and stop him from negotiating a contract with the Sharks. Mapoe says the contract isn’t valid because he was not remunerated according to the minimum rules and regulations as set by the South African Rugby Union. After the loss of Basson to the Bulls, Mapoe is along with Jongi Nokwe, the only two players of colour in the Cheetahs backline while they have only two forwards, Ashley Johnson and Kabamba Floors. This is one of the reasons given by the Cheetahs for him to be forced to stay in Bloemfontein.

According to Mapoe’s agent Jan-Harm van Wyk, the Cheetahs have not raised his salary as they claim in the court papers, but have started “depositing money in his account without consulting him.” The case is heard today in Bloemfontein and it is expected that a judgement will be given within 48 hours.

What’s your take on Mapoe’s future??

Hanjo

you can read about it here , With Pieter de Villiers as coach, there was always the fear that he might just ignore the players’ fatigue come the EOY tour, and send John and the others to the Northern Hemisphere, seeing that we can’t cope without captain courageous steering the ship. questions were asked about the strange decision to put the contracted springbok players on a conditioning program, not only because some of them were in serious need of some game time but seeing that the WC is still a year away, and most contracted springboks were expected to have already played their last tests this year. 

So I think we can safely say…. Thank God!

Hanjo

Currie Cup Premier Division 

      VS  

 Head to Head: Vodacom Western Province v GWK Griquas (since 2005)

P: 10 W: 8 L: 2 PF: 366 PA: 166

29/07/2005 WP 42 Griquas 16 Newlands, Cape Town
05/08/2006 WP 27 Griquas 23 Absa Park, Kimberley
30/09/2006 WP 55 Griquas 17 Newlands, Cape Town
11/08/2007 WP 30 Griquas 25 Absa Park, Kimberley
06/10/2007 WP 37 Griquas 07 Newlands, Cape Town
12/07/2008 WP 20 Griquas 21 Absa Park, Kimberley
19/09/2008 WP 30 Griquas 18 Newlands, Cape Town
07/08/2009 WP 32 Griquas 33 GWK Park, Kimberley
26/09/2009 WP 43 Griquas 3 Newlands, Cape Town
07/08/2010 WP 50 Griquas 3 GWK Park, Kimberley

Teams:

Western Province: 
15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 JJ Engelbrecht, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Gio Aplon, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Pieter Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl(captain), 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie and 1 Wicus Blaauw.

Replacements: 16 Hanyani Shimange, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 Adriaan Fondse, 19 Nick Kster, 20 Conrad Hoffmann, 21 Gary van Aswegen and 22 Paul Bosch.

Griquas: TBA

Vodacom Western Province’s recent form at home:

• The hosts suffered their first home defeat of the 2010 season in week eight after the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs recorded a 29-24 victory at Newlands.

• Vodacom WP though secured home victories over the Platinum Leopards (59-17), Vodacom Blue Bulls (15-12), Xerox Lions (32-0) and the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (54-13).

• Province conceded one home defeat (a 21-19 semi-final loss to the Vodacom Blue Bulls) during last year’s Absa Currie Cup.

GWK Griquas’ recent form on the road:

• The Kimberley side conceded defeats on the road against the Xerox Lions (40-29), Vodacom Blue Bulls (39-38) in Pretoria, against the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (33-26) in Bloemfontein and The Sharks (48-30) in Durban.

• The GWK Griquas however defeated the Platinum Leopards (41-27) in Potchefstroom during week four’s action of this season’s Absa Currie Cup.

• During the 2009 competition, they achieved victories on the road against the Boland Cavaliers, Platinum Leopards, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs and the Xerox Lions.

Additional information:

• Vodacom Western Province secured a convincing 50-3 victory over the GWK Griquas in Kimberley when these sides met in week five of the 2010 Absa Currie Cup.

• GWK Griquas winger Bjorn Basson is the leading try-scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 14. Basson made his Test debut for the Springboks against Wales earlier this year.

• Vodacom WP flyhalf Willem de Waal is currently the second leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition – 150. De Waal has accumulated 1363 points in his Absa Currie Cup career – 259 points for the Platinum Leopards, 811 for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs and 293 for WP since joining them in 2008.

• The Vodacom WP pivot has twice scored 212 points in a season, back in 2006 and 2007 for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs.

• The GWK Griquas flyhalf Naas Olivier is the third leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition – 145. Olivier has scored 675 points in his Absa Currie Cup career. The pivot has added 220 for Vodacom Western Province, 163 for the Platinum Leopards and 301 for his current side.

• Vodacom Western Province winger Gio Aplon, who made his Springbok debut this year, represented the SA Sevens during 2007 – 2009. He is currently the fourth leading try-scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup with six tries.

• Leon Karemaker (GWK Griquas) represented the SA Schools in 2003 and the SA Under-21s in 2004.

• Vodacom WP scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage and GWK Griquas’ Johan van Deventer represented the SA Under-20s during the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship in Wales.

• GWK Griquas flanker Davon Raubenheimer represented the SA Under-21s in 2005.

• Referee Marius Jonker will handle the game at Newlands between Vodacom Western Province and GWK Griquas.

Players to watch:

Western Province: Gio Aplon , Jean de Villiers , Juan de jongh , Francois Louw

Griquas: Riaan Viljoen , Sarel Pretorius , Bjorn Basson

Prediction: WP beat the Griquas 50-3 at home earlier this season without Jean de Villiers, I don’t think we’ll see another runaway victory, even if it is at home this time. Although I they should have enough fire power to get the better of the Griquas.

WP by 23

     VS     

Head to Head: Platinum Leopards v Vodacom Blue Bulls (since 2005)

P: 5 W: 0 L: 5 PF: 107 PA: 278

02/09/2005 Leopards 24 Blue Bulls 69 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
07/10/2005 Leopards 10 Blue Bulls 61 Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng
21/08/2009 Leopards 11 Blue Bulls 44 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
09/10/2009 Leopards 24 Blue Bulls 61 Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng
06/08/2010 Leopards 38 Blue Bulls 43 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Teams:

Leopards: TBA

Blue Bulls: 
15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Jaco Pretorius, 12. Stefan Watermeyer, 11. Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 10. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7. Juandre Kruger, 6. Derick Kuün , 5. Fudge Mabeta, 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Gary Botha (capt), 1. Dean Greyling.

Replacements: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. Rossouw de Klerk, 18. Jaco Engels, 19. Wilhelm Steenkamp, 20. Okkie Kruger, 21. Ruan Snyman, 22. Hayden Groepes

Platinum Leopards’ recent form at home:

• The hosts have already suffered four home defeats – against Vodacom Western Province (42-23), GWK Griquas (41-27), Barloworld Toyota Pumas (27-26) and the Xerox Lions (43-13) in this season’s competition.

• The Platinum Leopards won only one home game during last year’s Absa Currie Cup Premier Division, a 50-16 victory over the Boland Cavaliers.

Vodacom Blue Bulls’ recent form on the road:

• The defending champions secured one away victory over the Xerox Lions (32-18) in Johannesburg but conceded four defeats on the road against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (22-21), Vodacom Western Province (15-12), Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (20-14) and The Sharks (34-28) in this season’s Absa Currie Cup.

• The Vodacom Blue Bulls conceded four defeats on the road during last year’s competition against Vodacom Western Province, Vodacom Free State Cheetahs, The Sharks and the Xerox Lions. The visitors though defeated WP in their 2009 Absa Currie Cup semi-final clash at Newlands.

Additional information:

• The Vodacom Blue Bulls secured a 43-38 victory over the Platinum Leopards at Loftus Versfeld when these side’s last meet during week five in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup.

• The Platinum Leopards has conceded the most points in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 474; and have also conceded the most tries – 67.

• The Vodacom Blue Bulls flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter is currently the fourth leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition – 145.

• Prop Jaco Engels has played a combined total of 94 Absa Currie Cup games for the Vodacom Blue Bulls, Boland Cavaliers and the Platinum Leopards.

• The Platinum Leopards scrumhalf Michael Bondesio is the fourth leading try-scorer in this season’s competition – six.

• Vodacom Blue Bulls loose forward CJ Stander captained the SA U20s during this year’s IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina and was a member of the Baby Boks’ squad of 2009 in Japan. He also captained the SA Schools team in 2008.

• Utility loose-forward Derick Kuun (Vodacom Blue Bulls) represented the SA Schools in 2002 and the SA Sevens in 2005.

• Vodacom Blue Bulls flyhalf Francois Brummer and winger Gerhard van den Heever both competed at the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship in Japan for the SA Under-20s. Stephen Dippenaar represented the Baby Boks at the 2008 tournament.

• The Platinum Leopards’ Cecil Dumond is the brother of Monty Dumond currently competing in the Absa Currie Cup First Division for the EP Kings.

• The Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker Deon Stegmann (2004) and centre Stefan Watermeyer (2005, 2006) both represented the SA Schools.

• Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker Dewald Potgieter captained the SA Schools team in 2005.

• No 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze captained the Vodacom Blue Bulls during their successful 2010 Vodacom Cup campaign.

• Australian referee Nathan Pierce will take charge of this game between the Platinum Leopards and the Vodacom Blue Bulls.

Players to watch:

Blue Bulls: Stefan Watermeyer , Francois Hougaard , Dean Greyling , Gerrit-jan van Velze

Leopards: Dumisani Matveshana , Deon Scholtz , Clayton Durand , Michael Bondesio (if included)

Prediction: the Bulls have had a few close calls and an upset against these smaller teams, and this is an away game, I’ll try not to jinx it, but the Leopards proved a tough challenge against the Griquas last week, in Kimberly, so one shouldn’t put an upset past the Leopards, this might just be their first win of the season. In all honesty the Bulls should walk away from this encounter with 5 points.

Blue Bulls by 11

     VS       

Head to Head: Xerox Lions v The Sharks (since 2005)

P: 12 W: 3 L: 9 PF: 196 PA: 292

16/07/2005 Lions 16 Sharks 22 The Absa Stadium, Durban
23/06/2006 Lions 22 Sharks 33 The Absa Stadium, Durban
19/08/2006 Lions 22 Sharks 21 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
30/06/2007 Lions 14 Sharks 7 Ellis Park, Johannesburg
01/09/2007 Lions 3 Sharks 21 The Absa Stadium, Durban
13/10/2007 Lions 19 Sharks 12 The Absa Stadium, Durban
26/07/2008 Lions 11 Sharks 16 The Absa Stadium, Durban
27/09/2008 Lions 20 Sharks 34 Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
11/10/2008 Lions 14 Sharks 29 The Absa Stadium, Durban
15/08/2009 Lions 19 Sharks 30 Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
03/10/2009 Lions 17 Sharks 19 The Absa Stadium, Durban
07/08/2010 Lions 19 Sharks 48 The Absa Stadium, Durban

Teams:

Lions: TBA

Sharks: TBA

Xerox Lions’ recent form at home:

• The hosts secured home victories against the GWK Griquas (40-29), Vodacom Western Province (46-28), Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (30-26) and the Platinum Leopards (45-22) at Coca-Cola Park.

• The Xerox Lions though suffered a 32-18 defeat against the Vodacom Blue Bulls in their other home game of the 2010 Absa Currie Cup season.

• The Johannesburg side conceded two defeats at Coca-Cola Park during last year’s competition against The Sharks (30-19) and the GWK Griquas (23-19).

The Sharks’ recent form on the road:

• The Durban side conceded two away defeats – against the Vodacom Blue Bulls (40-34) in week nine, and also suffered a 40-34 loss to the GWK Griquas in the opening weekend of the 2010 Absa Currie Cup.

• The Sharks though secured victories on the road against the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (25-13) and Platinum Leopards (51-6) in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup.

• The Sharks suffered one defeat on the road during the 2009 Absa Currie Cup against Vodacom Western Province. They were also the only team to defeat the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld during last year’s competition.

Additional information:

• The Sharks recorded a 48-19 victory over the Xerox Lions during week five of the 2010 Absa Currie Cup.

• The Sharks flyhalf Patrick Lambie is currently the leading points’ scorer in the Absa Currie Cup this season – 152.

• The Xerox Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies is currently the sixth leading points’ scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – 110.

• The Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves made his Springbok debut in Cardiff earlier this year. He also represented the SA Schools in 2004.

• The Xerox Lions fullback Jaco Taute along with Jantjies and Lambie represented the Baby Boks at this year’s IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina.

• The Sharks winger Lwazi Mvovo is currently the second leading try-scorer in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup – nine. He is five tries behind GWK Griquas winger Bjorn Basson.

• Xerox Lions scrumhalf JP Joubert is the first SA player to play for seven provinces – Griffons, SWD Eagles, Boland Cavaliers, GWK Griquas, Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Golden Lions.

• The Sharks No 8 Ryan Kankowski has played in 15 Tests for the Springboks. He also represented the SA Emerging Boks in 2007.

• The Xerox Lions hooker Edgar Marutlulle earned his SA Schools colours in 2005, competed for the SA U19s in 2006 and played for the SA Students in 2008 and 2009.

• Referee Jason Jaftha will handle this game between the Xerox Lions and The Sharks in Johannesburg.

Players to watch:

Sharks: Ryan Kankowski , Pat Lambie , Lwazi Mvovo , Keegan Daniel

Lions: Elton Jantjies , Jano Vermaak , Michael Killian , Doppies la Grange

Prediction: the big game of the weekend will determine the Lions’ fate as they find themselves in a must win situation. The Sharks on the other hand are sitting comfortable on top of the log. The Lions will approach this game as a final, and their desperation might just be the determining factor. The sharks beat their bogey team last week while the Lions slumped to a defeat at the hands of the Bulls, just to be a little controversial in my predictions, I’ll pick the Lions to snatch this one at the end, or better even, dominate and win comfortably. The Lions have turned their fortunes around after a disastrous super14 campaign and they are playing exciting rugby.

Lions by 13

 Hanjo

Predictions:

Currie Cup Premier Division 

Round 12:

Fri Sep 24 2010

at 19:00

Vodacom Park

Bloemfontein, South Africa

   Pumas        vs        Cheetahs

We start off round 12 with the Cheetahs hosting the Pumas in Bloemfontein, the Cheetahs’ path to the semi’s took a knock when they came out second against the log-leading Sharks the past weekend, the boys from Bloem are still almost certain to reach the semi’s due to them having by far the easiest run-in over the next couple of weeks. They’ll be hoping to get their plans back on track this weekend against a determined yet struggling Pumas side, the Pumas started their first season back in the premier division without disappointing, they’ve been responsible for some upsets and some nail biting encounters. I’m sure their coaches and players will be satisfied with their performances despite their log position.

Cheetahs:

 15. Riaan Smit, 14. Philip Snyman, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Louis Strydom, 9. Tewis De Bruyn, 8. Ashley Johnson, 7. Philip Van der Walt, 6. Hendro Scholtz, 5. David de Villiers, 4. Francois Uys, 3. WP Nel , 2. Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1. Coenie Oosthuizen 

Replacements: 16. Skipper Badenhorst, 17. Kobus Calldo, 18. Izak van der Westhuizen, 19. Kabamba Floors, 20. Tertius Carse, 21. Sias Ebersohn, 22. Corn Uys

Pumas:

TBA

Recent results:

Pumas:

Cheetahs:

Players to watch:

Pumas: Allister Kettledas , Elgar Watts , Ronnie Uys

Cheetahs: Coenie Oosthuizen , Jongi Nokwe , Robert Ebersohn , Adriaan Strauss

Prediction:

I expect the Cheetahs to win this one quite easy, the Pumas will come out fighting and will try to make amends for conceding 60 points in their previous encounter, the Cheetahs forwards who didn’t have it all their way against the Sharks pack will be back to their dominating ways, their heavy front row should control the scrums.

 Cheetahs by 18