Champ Marketing present SuperSport commentator : Johan Ferreira

ABSA CURRIE CUP RUGBY PREVIEW ROUND 8

This week marks a special occasion with the introduction of a new sports blog on the Champ and Newcastle Tourism websites….

As a former Newcastle resident it is indeed an honor to be involved in this project.

I would like to dedicate my first article to Rugby as we look ahead to the start of the second round of matches in the 2009 Absa Currie Cup season.

The Leopards have unfortunately become the whipping boys of the Competition and are still without a point after 7 matches while Boland’s only victory came against the Leopards in the first round of the Competition.

At this stage these two units will probably be involved in a Promotion/Relegation battle at the end of the season but if you are in and around Potchefstroom on Friday why not go and watch a good game of rugby ahead of a cracker weekend in South Africa’s Premier Rugby Tournament……

Undoubtedly the match of the round takes place in Durban where The Sharks entertain Western Province…..The Durban outfit’s only defeat was against the visitors from the Western Cape in round 1 but 6 consecutive wins have elevated John Plumtree’s charges to the number 1 spot on the table followed by Province who lost to the Bulls and Griquas in their 7 outings thus far…

Western Province will be without the services of Adriaan Fondse who has been ruled out for 5 months through injury while The Sharks have a clean bill of health with Argentine International Juan Martin Hernandez expected to return in the number 10 jersey….

In the battle of the Jukskei the Lions have home ground advantage against the rampant Bulls…..The Red and White’s have struggled this season although many pundits were surprised by their efforts in Cape Town last weekend….Despite trailing in the territorial stakes the Lions only lost by 5 points while coach Hans Coetzee is optimistic about the 2nd round of matches starting on home soil….

The Bulls conquered the Griquas in Kimberley while last weekends demolition of the Leopards was always expected. Frans Ludeke’s new blend of youth and experience have certainly shown enough to suggest that they will be part of the play-offs later this season but points away from home will be vital towards earning the right to play a semi final and maybe even a final at home.

In Kimberley Griquas are back on home soil having lost to the Sharks in Durban last week. The Northern Cape outfit will be hoping to achieve the double over the Cheetahs having won in Bloemfontein earlier this season….

On a positive note Naka Drotske’s men arrive in Kimberley having enjoyed a rosy patch of 3 consecutive wins but Griquas in Kimberley is no easy proposition…..

The Cheetahs will welcome Hendro Scholtz back from injury but Adriaan Strauss retains the captaincy having led his team with distinction in the past couple of weeks….

Lastly I would like to wish the Springboks all the very best for the match against the Wallabies in Perth. Here’s hoping for another top performance and a step closer to the Vodacom Tri Nations Title!

Cheers

Johan

ABSA CURRIE CUP LOG AFTER 7 ROUNDS

ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division | Log

Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA BPts Pts
1 Sharks 7 6 0 1 216 104 112 22 9 3 27
2 Vodacom Western Province 7 5 0 2 213 125 88 23 10 4 24
3 GWK Griquas 7 5 0 2 230 153 77 28 18 4 24
4 Vodacom Blue Bulls 7 5 0 2 196 131 65 23 12 4 24
5 Xerox Lions 7 3 0 4 161 151 10 15 13 4 16
6 Vodacom Free State Cheetahs 7 3 0 4 219 139 80 27 11 3 15
7 Boland 7 1 0 6 89 310 -221 9 44 1 5
8 Platinum Leopards 7 0 0 7 98 309 -211 11 41 0 0