The third round of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division kicks off in Kimberley on Friday, when Suzuki Griquas host DHL Western Province from 15h00, with the home side determined to build on their victory over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers last weekend, while the Capetonians will be eager to notch up their first victory of the season.
Saturday’s action begins in Pretoria, where the Vodacom Bulls welcome the Airlink Pumas at 15h00. Later that day, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV will look to make home advantage count when they face the Toyota Cheetahs at 17h10 in Durban.
The Sanlam Boland Kavaliers will play their third consecutive Sunday fixture, this time against the Fidelity ADT Lions in a 15h00 kick-off in Wellington.
In Friday’s clash, DHL WP will be desperate to reverse their fortunes after two early losses. However, Kimberley is known to be a tough hunting ground, and Labeeb Levy’s charges will need a marked improvement to overcome the hosts.
Suzuki Griquas have dominated recent encounters between the two sides and are on a seven-match winning streak against Province. Their most recent victory came in September last year, when they triumphed 37-29 at home.
After a narrow loss to the Airlink Pumas in the opening round, Pieter Bergh’s men bounced back with a 48-39 win over a spirited Kavaliers outfit. They’ll be confident heading into this clash against a youthful DHL WP side still finding their feet in the competition.
The Vodacom Bulls, early pacesetters in the competition, will aim to extend their dominance over their eastern neighbours, the Airlink Pumas. Their 40-24 win in this fixture last September was a second successive win for the men from Pretoria following a heavy 63-15 loss to the team from Mpumalanga in May 2023.
This season however, the Bulls have looked formidable, collecting maximum points from their opening two matches and playing a very attractive brand of rugby. Their two wins so far includes a 64-0 demolition of the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV at Loftus Versfeld, and a convincing away win over DHL WP in the North-South derby.
The Pumas, who edged Griquas in round one, fell short against a determined Toyota Cheetahs side in Bloemfontein last weekend and Saturday’s clash in Pretoria will be another stern test for the 2022 champions from Mbombela.
In Saturday’s late afternoon fixture, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV host the Toyota Cheetahs at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont, Durban, where Frans Steyn’s charges will be eager to build on their thrilling win over the Pumas last weekend.
Clashes between these two sides have often delivered fireworks, with the Durbanites holding a narrow 3-2 edge in their last five meetings. However, based on current form, the young KZN outfit will go into this one as underdogs.
JP Pietersen’s young squad will be looking to bounce back after last week’s heavy defeat at Loftus, but they face a tough challenge against a Cheetahs side that showed grit in overcoming the Pumas. The last time these two met, the Sharks XV edged it 25-20.
Sunday’s fixture in Wellington sees the Kavaliers take on a confident, high-flying Fidelity ADT Lions side. The Bolanders, newly promoted to the Premier Division, will be pleased with their six league points so far.
However, the Highvelders – last year’s runners-up – present their toughest challenge yet. With just one loss in their last five matches in this competition (a narrow defeat to their Durban rivals in the 2024 final), the Lions boast a powerful yet mobile pack of forwards and a potent backline. Fans in Wellington are in an entertaining, attacking spectacle on Sunday afternoon.
All matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport Rugby.
Match information:
Suzuki Griquas vs DHL Western Province
Date: Friday, 8 August
Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni
Broadcast: SuperSport Rugby
Vodacom Bulls vs Airlink Pumas
Date: Saturday, 9 August
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Morne Ferreira
Broadcast: SuperSport Rugby
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV vs Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 9 August
Venue: Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 17h10
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Broadcast: SuperSport Rugby
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers vs Fidelity ADT Lions
Date: Sunday, 10 August
Venue: Sanlam Boland Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Broadcast: SuperSport Rugby
Miss Lucky
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid share the record of scoring most test centuries for India playing against England.
xSTORMx
Kumar Sangakkara, a player from Sri Lanka is the only batsman to score 4 consecutive hundreds in ODI history.