Two of the highlights of the third round SA Cup involve repeats of last year’s Currie Cup Premier and First Division finals, with the Toyota Cheetahs hosting the Airlink Pumas in Bloemfontein, while the Valke travel to Wellington to take on the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers.
Will a youthful Cheetahs side be able to tame the more experienced Pumas and who of the Kavaliers or Valke will register their first win of the season?
The teams from the Free State and Mpumalanga kick off the action on Friday at 6pm in Bloemfontein, where a difficult challenge awaits the hosts in a repeat of last year’s Currie Cup Premier Division final.
With the Cheetahs also facing Clermont-Auvergne in a crunch EPCR Challenge Cup play-off game in France on Saturday, their SA Cup side will have a youthful look for the clash against the Airlink Pumas.
Friday’s game will be followed by three more matches on Saturday afternoon, all starting at 3pm. Early log leaders Suzuki Griquas are favourites to consolidate their position when they host the Border Bulldogs in Kimberley; Eastern Province entertain fellow First Division rivals Phangela SWD Eagles at the Wolfson Stadium in Gqeberha; and the Kavaliers will be hoping to make home ground advantage count when they welcome the Valke to Wellington.
On Sunday, the NovaVit Griffons and Leopards will complete the weekend’s action when they meet at 3pm in Welkom.
Another exciting encounter is in store for Wellington, where the Kavaliers and Valke will both be hunting their first win of the competition on Saturday.
These two sides fought it out for Currie Cup First Division honours at the same venue last year, when the hosts took the trophy, only a week after the side from the East Rand won the Mzansi Challenge final.
Last week, the Kavaliers went down 34-31 at home to the Griffons, after they also came unstuck in the opening round away to the Cheetahs.
The Valke ended on the losing side in their first two games and will be looking to turn the tables on the Kavaliers, who won the last time they met, in last year’s Currie Cup First Division final.
After edging the Valke two weeks ago, Eastern Province found the going tough last week against the Pumas, and the Eastern Cape side will no doubt be highly motivated for Saturday’s clash in Gqeberha with their western neighbours, the SWD Eagles.
EP always manage to draw good support in the Wolfson Stadium so Saturday’s derby should deliver more than a few sparks.
On current form, the Griffons should have too much firepower for the Leopards on Sunday in Welkom, with the team from North West suffering two heavy losses in their previous outings.
All five games will be streamed live on the SuperSport Schools app.
Fixtures
Toyota Cheetahs v Airlink Pumas - Friday @ Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein (6pm)
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Streaming: SS Schools
Eastern Province v Phangela SWD Eagles - Saturday @ Wolfson Stadium, Gqeberha (3pm)
Referee: Griffin Colby
Streaming: SS Schools
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers v Valke - Saturday @ Boland Stadium, Wellington (3pm)
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron
Streaming: SS Schools
Suzuki Griquas v Border Bulldogs - Saturday @ Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley (3pm)
Referee: Sean Muller
Streaming: SS Schools
NovaVit Griffons v Leopards - Sunday @ Down Touch Investment Stadium, Welkom (3pm)
Referee: Phumzile Mbewu
Streaming: SS Schools
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