Mouth-watering semis in Currie Cup

THE Currie Cup intensifies this weekend with two mouth-watering semi-finals that will see the Blue Bulls host the Lions at Loftus Versfeld, while the Cheetahs travel to Cape Town to tackle Western Province.

The line-up is an exact repeat of last year’s playoffs, which saw the Bulls and Cheetahs triumph in vastly different circumstances in Pretoria and Cape Town respectively. The Cheetahs shocked Province in the rain at Newlands and the home team will be desperate to avoid a repeat as they aim for their first Cup final in four years.The Bulls and Lions, meanwhile, served up a feast of fast, adventurous rugby, scoring 73 points between them, but the Bulls were always in control.The defending champions finished off their Premier Division campaign with an eighth win on the trot as they downed the hapless Leopards 61-10 in Rustenburg last Friday night.The Cheetahs also warmed up with an ideal game in defeating the Sharks 17-3 in torrential rain in Bloemfontein on Saturday, an experience which could come in handy at Newlands next weekend.Rassie Erasmus’s charges have fluctuated between the sublime and the ridiculous this season, but will know exactly what is expected of them if they hope to make their second final in a row.Province too have often flattered only to deceive in this year’s campaign, but a solid 23-17 win over the Lions at Newlands on Saturday will have gone a long way to restoring shaky confidence.If the Bulls win, the final will be played in Pretoria, but if the Lions are victorious, they will either play WP at Newlands or host the Cheetahs at Ellis Park.In the other Premier Division match of the weekend, the Boland Cavaliers beat Griquas 37-26 in Kimberley on Friday afternoon.The First Division final will be contested on Friday night in Brakpan between the Falcons and Pumas – the two form teams in the second-tier competition.-Nampa-SapaThe Cheetahs shocked Province in the rain at Newlands and the home team will be desperate to avoid a repeat as they aim for their first Cup final in four years.The Bulls and Lions, meanwhile, served up a feast of fast, adventurous rugby, scoring 73 points between them, but the Bulls were always in control.The defending champions finished off their Premier Division campaign with an eighth win on the trot as they downed the hapless Leopards 61-10 in Rustenburg last Friday night.The Cheetahs also warmed up with an ideal game in defeating the Sharks 17-3 in torrential rain in Bloemfontein on Saturday, an experience which could come in handy at Newlands next weekend.Rassie Erasmus’s charges have fluctuated between the sublime and the ridiculous this season, but will know exactly what is expected of them if they hope to make their second final in a row.Province too have often flattered only to deceive in this year’s campaign, but a solid 23-17 win over the Lions at Newlands on Saturday will have gone a long way to restoring shaky confidence.If the Bulls win, the final will be played in Pretoria, but if the Lions are victorious, they will either play WP at Newlands or host the Cheetahs at Ellis Park.In the other Premier Division match of the weekend, the Boland Cavaliers beat Griquas 37-26 in Kimberley on Friday afternoon.The First Division final will be contested on Friday night in Brakpan between the Falcons and Pumas – the two form teams in the second-tier competition.-Nampa-Sapa