The 2023 Currie Cup Bulletin #27

Five teams will compete for the last two playoff spots in the final round of the Currie Cup Premier Division, while the Mzansi Challenge semi-finals will be staged in Kempton Park and George on Saturday.

The Cell C Sharks and Toyota Cheetahs have already secured home advantage for the Currie Cup Premier Division semi-finals. The next round of fixtures will determine which of these teams finishes at the top of the log and earns the right to host a potential final.

The Toyota Cheetahs will be gunning for a win against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon. They currently trail the Cell C Sharks by two points in the standings.

But if the Free Staters lose at Loftus Versfeld and fail to obtain any bonus points, the KwaZulu-Natalians will head into their final league fixture against DHL Western Province in Cape Town with the knowledge that they have already secured a top-place finish.

The tournament has witnessed an almighty battle for playoff positions in recent weeks. That scrap will reach a climax this weekend, with the Airlink Pumas, Vodacom Bulls, Windhoek Draught Griquas, DHL WP and Fidelity ADT Lions competing for the final two spots.

The Airlink Pumas – who currently sit in third place – will be targeting a win in Kimberley on Friday, which will be a repeat of their amazing feat last year in the Currie Cup final. That said, a loss with a bonus point or two may still earn them a playoff spot, providing that other results go their way.

Windhoek Draught Griquas will climb from fifth to third if they beat the defending champs. In that event, they will advance to the final four, regardless of what happens in later fixtures.

The Vodacom Bulls have won their past four matches, and may fancy their chances against the Toyota Cheetahs at home. A loss would, in all likelihood, knock them out of the playoff race.

DHL WP need to beat the Cell C Sharks – who are on a seven-game winning streak – to have any sort of chance of making the semi-finals. A bonus-point victory will boost their cause, although they do have a better points-difference than the Vodacom Bulls and Windhoek Draught Griquas, and may advance ahead of those teams if they finish the league stage on the same number of log points.

The Cell C Sharks beat DHL WP by 20-7 the last time they met, in the third round in Durban.

The Fidelity ADT Lions need a big win against the NovaVit Griffons on Friday. The Northern Free Staters have lost 12 of their previous 13 matches.

The Johannesburg side could finish the league stage with 36 log points, provided that they secure a bonus-point win in Welkom. They will need every other fixture in the final round to go their way – with Windhoek Draught Griquas, the Vodacom Bulls and DHL WP losing their respective games – to have any chance of progressing to the semi-finals.

Mzansi Challenge

Meanwhile, the Mzansi Challenge semi-finals will both be staged at 15h00 this Saturday. The Valke will host the Leopards in Kempton Park, while the Boland Kavaliers will travel to George to tackle the SWD Eagles. Both matches will be streamed live on the SuperSport Schools app.

The Mzansi Challenge final will take place on Saturday, 17 June. The Currie Cup First Division final, between the Boland Kavaliers and Valke, is scheduled for Friday, 23 June in Wellington.

Match information:

Windhoek Draught Griquas v Airlink Pumas
Venue: Windhoek Draught Park, Kimberley
Date: Friday, 9 June
Time: 15h00
Referee: Marius Van der Westhuizen
TV: SuperSport (210)

NovaVit Griffons v Fidelity ADT Lions
Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom
Date: Friday, 9 June
Time: 15h00
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron
TV: SuperSport (201 and 211)

Vodacom Bulls v Toyota Cheetahs
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Date: Saturday, 10 June
Time: 15h00
Referee: AJ Jacobs
TV: SuperSport (211)

DHL Western Province v Cell C Sharks
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Date: Saturday, 10 June
Time: 17h00
Referee: Paul Mente
TV: SuperSport (211)

Mzansi Challenge:

Semi-final 1: Valke vs Leopards
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Date: Saturday, 10 June
Time: 15h00
Referee: Morne Ferreiraa
Live streaming: SuperSport Schools App

Semi-final 2: SWD Eagles vs Boland Kavaliers
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Date: Saturday, 10 June
Time: 15h00
Referee: Dylen November
Live streaming: SuperSport Schools App

Currie Cup Premier Division First Division Mzansi Challenge Vodacom Bulls Airlink Pumas Fidelity ADT Lions NovaVit Griffons Toyota Cheetahs Cell C Sharks DHL Western Province Windhoek Draught Griquas

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