Currie Cup preview (Final)

Currie Cup preview (Final)

26 Oct 2012

GARETH DUNCAN analyses Saturday’s Currie Cup final between the Sharks and Western Province.

WHY THE SHARKS WILL WIN

Most of the odds lie in the Sharks’ favour: home ground advantage, they have the better team on paper, they have settled combinations and the stronger pack. Let’s not beat around the bush, the Sharks are overwhelming favourites to claim the title.

The Sharks have not lost against any South African team at home during Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. Kings Park has been a fortress against their local rivals, and they will carry that confidence into the title-decider. WP will also go into this match knowing they only won once in the last five against the men from Durban in all competitions. The bashing they received in the Super Rugby semi-final at Newlands must still haunt them.

A key advantage for the hosts will be their expected ascendancy among the heavies. While the Golden Lions boasted the strongest pack for most parts of the domestic competition, the Sharks forwards won that reputation during the latter league rounds and in the semi-final win over the Blue Bulls as their Springboks returned.

The Sharks boast brute strength up front, which has been central on attack and defence, their scrumming performances and setting a quality platform for in-form flyhalf Pat Lambie and his dangerous backline. There’s a 60% chance of rain in Durban on Saturday, highlighting the importance of dominance among the forwards.

Kudos must be given to head coach John Plumtree, who mastered the management of his Test players after they came back from Rugby Championship duty. The Kiwi learned his lesson the hard way last season when he rushed all seven of his internationals into the starting line-up when they jetted back from the World Cup in New Zealand. They struggled to make an impact in the 2011 Currie Cup final at Ellis Park, which saw the Lions ease to a 42-16 win. Plumtree will get the best out of his Boks on Saturday.

Lambie’s most outstanding individual performance came in the 2010 Currie Cup final. He’s yet to eclipse that memory over the last two years, but the signs he’s shown over the last fortnight in the No 10 jersey indicate he’ll be an important player on the pitch on Saturday. Even though he struggled to get game time with the Springboks this season, he’s looked confident at flyhalf and will play a vital role with the boot and in marshalling his team-mates on his outside. A strong run this weekend will force Bok coach Heyneke Meyer’s hand in picking him at pivot (and not fullback) during the end-of-year tour.

If the Sharks gain ascendancy, their backline will thrive. Young scrumhalf Cobus Reinach has been Plumtree’s find of the season, the young centre combination of Paul Jordaan and Tim Whitehead has gelled really well (to think Frans Steyn will still jump into the midfield equation next season), and wing JP Pietersen and fullback Louis Ludik are enjoying a purple patch of form.

This is the Sharks’ final to lose.

WHY WP HAVE A CHANCE

It doesn’t look good for the visitors.

They shocked the Lions by scoring a late try for a 21-16 comeback win in Johannesburg last weekend. But the final against the Sharks should be a step too far.

However, head coach Allister Coetzee and optimistic Province fans will say: ‘never rule out the underdogs’.

The main targets the Cape side will aim for are the lineouts, the breakdown battle and the tactical kicking game. If WP can achieve any ascendancy in these facets of play, they’ll have hope.

The Sharks have been poor at the lineouts in recent weeks, while Province have excelled at the set piece throughout the domestic campaign. Province will miss their injured lineout kingpin Andries Bekker, but if they can continue their impressive showings, they have a platform to attack from. Their driving maul has beaten most defences from close range.

The individual performances of No 8 Duane Vermeulen and flank Deon Fourie will be very influential. Both players have been consistent throughout the year, and their team will need big contributions from them. They’ll be key in the breakdown assault and as ball carriers. Fourie will also need to keep a cool head and not concede needless penalties.

The halfback combination of Nic Groom and Demetri Catrakilis will need to fire. The two players know each other well as they’ve played alongside each other ever since the 2011 Varsity Cup with UCT.

Groom provides quick service and will keep the defenders around the fringes on their toes, which takes some pressure off Catrakilis. The Kings-bound pivot has impressed with the boot when his forwards hold their own up front, but he’s known to falter when defences give him no space or time with the ball. The Province pack need to play their part, as Catrakilis will be a vital part of their tactical kicking game.

If WP can achieve this, they will have the chance to win favourable field positions. If they can milk kickable penalties off the Sharks, the visitors have a sharpshooter to rely on. But I stress, this will be a tough task.

It will be interesting to see how Coetzee’s gamble of starting rookie Damian de Allende at inside centre pays off. Marcel Brache has been inconsistent and many feel JP du Plessis (who’s with the U21s) should’ve been given a go, but Coetzee seems confident De Allende can provide a physical presence. Province can’t afford him to falter.

WP don’t have much running for them, but if they can put the Sharks under pressure in the aforementioned areas, they could find themselves in the position to pull off one of the most unlikeliest upsets of the year.

FORM
Sharks WWLWLWLWWWW
WP LWLWWLWLLWW

Sharks – 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (c), 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Jandre Marais, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

WP – 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Don Armand, 6 Deon Fourie (c), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Deon Carstens, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Marcel Brache, 22 Joe Pietersen.

Gareth’s prediction: Sharks by 15


567 Comments

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  • 51.Heavens Game: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:29 am

    Brauch keine Hilfe, kein Koffein
    doch Dynamit und Terpentin
    Ich brauche Öl für Gasolin
    explosiv wie Kerosin
    mit viel Oktan und frei von Blei
    einen Kraftstoff wie Benzin
    Dynamite Stadium…

    BOOM!!!

  • 52.stormersboy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:30 am

    @Tacitus-45: Advanced case of Schadenfreude?

    Or will you be mowing the lawn on Saturday?

  • 53.Heavens Game: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:30 am

    How sweet can it taste?
    How good can you feel?
    The enemy is dead
    Your victory is real
    How deep can you fall?
    How low can you feel?
    How sweet can it be?
    To know it is real?

    How strong a will
    How long to kill
    The Sharks out to play
    They going for their prey…

  • 54.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:31 am

    Province by 3! You read it first here… :lol:

  • 55.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:31 am

    Recent Currie Cup results:
    2012: Sharks won 43-27 in Durban
    2012: Sharks won 25-23 in Cape Town
    2011: Western Province won 15-10 in Durban
    2011: Sharks won 21-19 in Cape Town
    2010: Sharks won 30-10 in Durban

    stick that on the back of your toilet door wpians.

  • 56.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:31 am

    Can you imagine playing at an empty stadium? Going to be eerie…

  • 57.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:33 am

    i like toetie (how ga y can a nickname be?).

    he is a good man.

    but he sacrifices his players like some kind of deranged aztec shaman and wonders how many more he will have to destroy before the sun eventually comes out.

  • 58.Treehugger: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:34 am

    @stormersboy-48: can’t and won’t :twisted:

  • 59.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:34 am

    @wp. winning nothing never looked so easy-46: The Odds are STACKED in your favour! WP haven’t won JACK in ages, they have none of their experienced Bokke in the mix, they have a ROOKIE/ U21 @ 12, their other hooker is playing OPENSIDE, you’ve beaten them FOUR times out of five this season, you’re at HOME, you have LAMBIE

    Sharks to take this at a canter!

  • 60.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:34 am

    @Treehugger-58:

    Howdy young lady… You off to KP tomorrow?

  • 61.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:34 am

    i am being disrespectful to the wpians.

    for that i apologise.

    next year they will be awesome!

  • 62.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:35 am

    @Transformation-59:

    :lol: A great comment…

  • 63.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:36 am

    @Transformation-59: i agree.

    the sharks will grind the wpians to make their bread and stride the land like jolly green giants (thats from full metal jacket for that dogfood fella/felatia).

  • 64.stormersboy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:36 am

    @Treehugger-58: Can too!

    :)

  • 65.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:36 am

    Brilliant news! 895 tickets have been sold for the final. C’mon guppies, take it to 1000. Yes you can!

    In other news, the WP and Stormers might be playing their rugby at the Green Point stadium from 2014. Upgrades soon underway to make it ‘rugby friendly’ – according to Die Burger at least. One can hope…..

  • 66.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:37 am

    is CAPS lock the same as SHOUTING on this site?

    who needs to be noticed eh?

    transformation sounds like a wpian version of chemical ali.

  • 67.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:38 am

    @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-65:

    So many!!! :lol:

  • 68.Heavens Game: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:38 am

    And there they were all reckoning that the CC had lost its lustre… well according to Keo anyway and the “legion” of KeoKapeKunties…

    All the honest SA rugby supporters outside the Kape Keo Mountain cabbage Bubble knew and thought otherwise…

    Paint it Black…and White…

  • 69.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:39 am

    @wp. winning nothing never looked so easy-66:

    I put on my sound and heard nothing…, so I guess not…

  • 70.Treehugger: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:39 am

    @Gumboots-60: huttit Boots, no, I will be lucky if I get to see the game on tv.

  • 71.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:39 am

    All Mary’s lambies in agreement… :lol:

  • 72.Heavens Game: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:40 am

    Sharks to take this at a canter…

    BLOODYRIGHT!

    OF COURSE THEY DAMNWELL WILL…

    Those Blue and White striped brokeback mountain goats better bring their vaseline…

  • 73.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:40 am

    @Transformation-59: FuckLambie. They have Bresler……

  • 74.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:40 am

    @Treehugger-70:

    Where are you then? No wedding I hope…

  • 75.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:41 am

    @Heavens Game-72:

    I’m so glad you didn’t move the dark side mate… kudos to you…

  • 76.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:41 am

    @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-65: where do you see this?

    895 really?

  • 77.Hondo: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:41 am

    Peiper is a scoundrel referee with class that usually lacks among Jonker, Joubert, Watson, Tappa Henning and Frik Burger who are obvious cheaters with no shame.
    His appointment isn’t a coincidental one, he will be worth WP about 13-15 points without raising much attention, he is very good in bending it on the 50/50 situations
    Bringing few Pitie v, Zyls inside the ring and making it known to Peiper can do wonders though, the Sharks probably will take the high moral ground instead I am afraid.
    :)

  • 78.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:41 am

    to the… eish

  • 79.Treehugger: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:42 am

    @stormersboy-64: :lol: huzzit Doll !

  • 80.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:42 am

    @Heavens Game-72: We were told not to bring our own Vaseline? K_Dawg Daniel told us not to? He said you fellas still have 7 crates of the stuff you brought back from NZ after your molest fest with the Chiefs in Super rugby?

  • 81.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:42 am

    @Transformation-76:

    I wanted to go, but the game tickets would have been more than the flights and accommodation…

  • 82.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:43 am

    so ticket sales is the new resort eh?

    not trophies.
    not the fact that the sharks will pound wpians like a two dollar hooker pounded that loser from the second hangover movie.
    just ticket sales.

    the bulls would have been a sell out.
    second raters dont draw the crowds sadly so sorry wpians, you are yesterdays heros.

  • 83.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:44 am

    @wp. winning nothing never looked so easy-66: no it’s not…calm down guppy_lover

  • 84.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:44 am

    @wp. winning nothing never looked so easy-82:

    Yes but it is not been played at Loftus otherwise it would have been a sell out…

  • 85.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:44 am

    @Transformation-76: As I have said before, The “Shark Tank” is nothing more than an empty set from “Game of Thrones”. ;)

    I hope it’s not hideously empty though, as the echoes can wreak havoc on lineout calls.

    “7-3-2-1″ 7 7 7 7 7 77 3 3 3 3 33 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 2 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111

  • 86.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:45 am

    @Transformation-83:

    Do I read properly between the lines….????

  • 87.Treehugger: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:45 am

    @Gumboots-74: lol, nothing as trivial as a wedding would stop me seeing the game.

  • 88.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:45 am

    @Gumboots-81: :D

  • 89.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:45 am

    @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-80: that was the leftovers from the smashing wpians got in the semi.

    when JPP made de jongh his prison girl.

    ran through the wpian defence like they were standing around a braai chatting.

  • 90.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:46 am

    @Treehugger-87:

    You can borrow my drifter…

  • 91.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:47 am

    The Sharks: The only union who record significant losses after hosting a home final……. :(

  • 92.David: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:48 am

    @wp. winning nothing never looked so easy-82:
    “the bulls would have been a sell out.”
    Like last week? :lol:

  • 93.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:48 am

    i have been told to calm down twice by these wpians.

    i think their bums are clenching at the thought of the reaming their team is about to take.

    i am still therapising you wpians, you will thank me on sunday.

  • 94.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:48 am

    @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-73: :lol: year bresler the mullet – BUSINESS at the FRONT, PARTY at the BACK.

    all mongrel

  • 95.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:48 am

    @Gumboots-86: C’mon Bill :) You know who all these “new” guppie bloggers are.

  • 96.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:48 am

    @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-91:

    :lol:

  • 97.i_love_u_bakkiesbotha: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:49 am

    @Transformation-59:
    you know transie, i have given this some consideration and i honeslty feel that perhaps forcing through the kings inclusion in super rugby is and was not a good idea in the long term, and its all been really ill thought out and poorly planned.

    the reason for my saying so is because i was contemplative of the massive disparity in strength and competitivness between the cheetahs and kings in last fridays game and now considering the mountain of a hurdle they have to overcome in tonights game, i can only wonder whether this is in any way for the better.

    clearly its impossible and they will in all likelyhood not qualify for the premier division. yet there is still the expectation for a much, much improved showing from last week… and i dont think this is possible for them.

    this stinks of political manipualtion from all sides and every single stakeholder (even the other unions) is to blame for the way this has been handled.

    on the other hand… i’ve just given a thought to the force and rebels experiences in super rugby and realise that maybe i’m just ranting….

  • 98.Heavens Game: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:49 am

    @Gumboots-75: WTF you whining about now kn.obber…

  • 99.Gumboots: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:49 am

    @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-95:

    I knew he would be back…name change and all… eishwena

  • 100.wp. winning nothing never looked so easy: Reply to this comment
    26 Oct 2012, 09:50 am

    lets get back to basics.

    its over a decade since wpians won anything.

    thats pathetic.

    shows how professional the wpians are.

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