Big battles take centre stage in First Division

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Thursday, 11 September 2014

Big battles take centre stage in First Division

The Absa Currie Cup First Division log table could be set for a shake-up this weekend with two of the three matches proving to decisive in terms of the log standings.

The Down Touch Griffons will host the Leopards in Welkom on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash, and should they register a victory they could match the Leopards on log points, while a bonus point victory would see them leapfrog the Potchefstroom team on the log.

The fourth-placed Boland Cavaliers and fifth-placed Valke will also be involved in a decisive clash in Wellington in terms of their semifinal hopes, as only two rounds of pool matches remain after this weekend for the teams to secure semifinal berths.

In the other match the SWD Eagles meet the Border Bulldogs in George – a match the hosts will target for a victory to keep them in the hunt for a possible home semifinal.

In Welkom the Down Touch Griffons will be expecting a massive onslaught from the Leopards, especially following the Potchefstroom team’s 54-32 victory last week and given the fact that the visitors thumped them 70-25 during the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Qualifier in July.

The Griffons, however, have registered four back-to-back victories since then and will be determined to build on this form, especially with a chance of possibly working themselves into a comfortable position to hop to the top of the log standings serving as extra motivation.

The hosts have bulked up their pack with the inclusion of physical locks Johan van der Hoogt and Chris Ehlers, while star hooker Elandré Huggett also reclaims his place in the starting team. Solid defence, however, will be the key for the hosts after they conceded 10 tries against the Leopards in their last outing.

The clash in Wellington will be equally exciting with the favourable fourth-place up for grabs and only two log points currently separating the teams on the log standings. Boland may have home ground advantage counting in their favour, but they have been unable to capitalise on it all season as they have suffered defeats in all three of their matches thus far.

They will also be wary of writing off the Valke who come off a surprise victory against SWD last week. In their last meeting the Boland Cavaliers registered a 35-20 victory against the Valke in Kempton Park. The Valke made only three changes to their starting team, with Carlyle Hendriks starting at fullback and Ernst Ladenhof at No8, while wing Coert Cronje replaces Kyle Hendricks.

Boland, meanwhile, have selected a new-look backline as they go in search of a victory. SARU Boland Academy players Edwinn Sass and Jovelain de Koker could play decisive roles in the match.

The SWD Eagles, meanwhile, will enter their clash against the Border Bulldogs as favourites based on their log position. However, Border have raised their quality of play significantly in the last two weeks, which should boost their confidence going into the clash.

The East London side failed to win a match in the Qualifying rounds, but they beat the Valke two weeks ago and went down by a narrow five points against the Down Touch Griffons in Welkom last week. They will also draw comfort from the fact that SWD went down against the Valke at home last week, while they managed only a narrow 33-31 win the last time these teams crossed paths.

SWD have bolstered their starting team by including looseforward Davon Raubenheimer, who represented the Springboks in two tour matches in 2009, and named a lock pairing of Grant le Roux and Mzwanele Zito. 

Absa Currie Cup First Division fixtures:

SWD vs Border Bulldogs

Venue: Outeniqua Park, George

Date: Friday, 12 September

Kickoff: 19h00

Referee: Lourens van der Merwe

Assistant Referees: Jaco Kotze and Ruhan Meiring

Down Touch Griffons vs Leopards

Venue: North West Stadium, Welkom

Date: Saturday, 13 September

Kickoff: 14h00

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

Assistant Referees: Ben Crouse and AJ Jacobs

TMO: Johan Greeff

TV: SS8

Boland Cavaliers vs Valke

Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington

Kickoff: 16h00

Referee: Pro Legoete

Assistant Referees:  Francois Pretorius and Linston Manuels

Issued by SARU Corporate Affairs