Currie Cup TV guide: All the matches you can watch this weekend
07/26/2024 07:04 AM
The Springboks aren’t in action this weekend but the world’s oldest provincial rugby competition highlights a weekend of rugby.
Currie Cup action this weekend
The defending Currie Cup Premier Division champions, the Cheetahs, will be keen to bounce back to winning ways in their Free State derby, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV will have to overcome the unbeaten Fidelity ADT Lions if they are to break their season duck in the fourth round this weekend.
Meanwhile, the First Division reaches its final this weekend, with Eastern Province travelling to Wellington where they will aim to cause an upset and take the title from last year's champions, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers.
Free State derby in Welkom
The round kicks off in Welkom at 15:00 on Friday afternoon, when the Cheetahs will want to bounce back from their first defeat of the season last weekend in Pretoria, in their Free State derby with neighbours NovaVit Griffons at the Down Touch Investments Stadium.
Two Premier Division matches take place on Saturday, with high flying Lions hosting the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV from 15h:00 in Johannesburg, before the action moves to Pretoria for a North-South derby between the Vodacom Bulls and Western Province, at 17:15.
To complete the fourth round action, the Pumas and Suzuki Griquas will also battle it out at 14:00 on Sunday in Nelspruit.
With both Free State teams suffering defeats last weekend – the Toyota Cheetahs away to the Vodacom Bulls and the NovaVit Griffons at home to DHL WP – both teams will be keen to grab victory when they clash in Welkom.
The Northern Free Staters are yet to open their account this season, and they will be desperate for an upset against their southern neighbours.
The action then moves to Johannesburg, where the Fidelity ADT Lions will be looking to build on their good early-season form against the struggling Hollywoodbets Sharks XV.
The hosts can rightly be regarded as favourites, but even though JP Pietersen’s visiting team have lost all three league games to date, they do have a quality side that will be desperate for a winning performance.
Bulls vs Western Province has main event written all over it
In Pretoria, the current form of the two teams will not matter, as the traditional North-South derby between arch-rivals, the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Western Province, undoubtedly delivers fireworks.
The hosts are riding high with three wins on the trot, while the Cape outfit bagged their first win last week in Welkom. The Vodacom Bulls have a settled-looking side, while DHL WP find themselves pretty much in a building phase, but it will nonetheless be a big clash with more than bragging rights at stake.
On Sunday, the action concludes with an undoubtedly exciting clash in Nelspruit between the Airlink Pumas and Suzuki Griquas, which kicks off at 14h00.
The Lowvelders recorded a brilliant victory last week in Durban when they raced to a 24-0 lead before going on to clinch a dramatic 31-24 away win. The Northern Cape team have made a slow and you can bet they will be up for this tussle in Nelspruit.
All the weekend action – including the First Division Final – will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Match information: Currie Cup Premier Division
NovaVit Griffons vs Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Friday, 26 July
Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom
Time: 15h00
Referee: Sean Muller
TV: SS Rugby
Fidelity ADT Lions vs Hollywoodbets Sharks XV
Date: Saturday, 27 July
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Time: 15h00
Referee: Griffin Colby
TV: SS Rugby
Vodacom Bulls vs DHL Western Province
Date: Saturday, 27 July
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Time: 17h15
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron
TV: SS Rugby
Airlink Pumas vs Suzuki Griquas
Date: Sunday, 28 July
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Time: 14h00
Referee: Christopher Allison
TV: SS Rugby
Who will win the Currie Cup?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
