The Sharks should effectively seal top spot on the Currie Cup standings with a win over the Blue Bulls in Durban on Saturday, writes CRAIG LEWIS.

FREE STATE CHEETAHS vs PUMAS (Friday, 17:30)

While the clash between the Sharks and Blue Bulls will headline this weekend’s Currie Cup action, Friday’s encounter in Bloemfontein could certainly have a bearing on how the playoff fixtures pan out.

Free State’s title defence has lost momentum as a result of a weakened team being sent into domestic action recently, with the Cheetahs instead opting to field a full-strength side in the Pro14.

As a result, Free State have suffered heavy losses to Western Province and the Sharks in recent weeks, which has left them clinging on to second place on the log, now some 14 points behind the Sharks.

By contrast, the Pumas have made impressive progress over the last few rounds, with important wins over Griquas, the Blue Bulls and Western Province lifting them to lie level with fourth-placed WP on 22 log points.

Free State have made a host of changes to the side that last went into action against WP, with Clayton Blommetjies providing a boost at fullback, but the Pumas will come into this contest with every right to feel confident of snatching another memorable win.

Pumas – 15 Justin van Staden, 14 Jerome Pretorius, 13 Gerrit Smith, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (c), 11 Ruwellyn Isbell, 10 Kobus Marais, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Brian Shabangu, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Stefan Willemse, 3 Pieter Scholtz, 2 Frankie Herne, 1 Kwezi Mona.
Subs: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 De-Jay Terblanche, 18 Cameron Lindsay, 19 Fancois Kleinhans, 20 Hilton Lobberts, 21 Theo Maree, 22 Selom Gavor.

Free State Cheetahs – 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 114 Vuyani Maqina, 13 Ali Mgijima, 12 Lloyd Greeff, 11 Cecil Afrika, 10 Robbie Petzer, 9 Zee Mkhabela, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Chris Dry (c), 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Carl Wegner, 4 Dennis Visser, 3 Erich de Jager, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Gert Coetzee.
Substitutes: 16 Reinach Venter, 17 Andrew Kuhn, 18 Jeremy Jordaan, 19 Nicolaas Immelman, 20 JP Smith, 21 JW Jonker, 22 Stephan janse van Rensburg.

SHARKS vs BLUE BULLS (Saturday, 15:00)

The Sharks will finish their pool commitments with challenging clashes against the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions and Western Province, and so they will not want to take anything for granted.

However, with a virtually unassailable 14-point lead at the top of the standings, the Sharks will be determined to continue roaring towards the playoffs, with the Durban-based side currently on an eight-match winning streak.

The Sharks’ powerful set piece has been complemented by an effective ball-in-hand game that sees the coastal side ranked first for tries scored, ball carries, offloads and tackle breaks.

According to the AllOutRugby statistics, the Bulls have recorded just an 84% tackle success rate this season, and so there is no doubt a talented Sharks backline will once again look to play with freedom and ambition.

Particularly look out for try-scoring machine S’bu Nkosi, who will be riding a wave of confidence after his recent inclusion in the Springbok squad for the final two Rugby Championship Tests.

Sharks coach Robert du Preez has also opted to start all his available Boks on Saturday, including Chiliboy Ralepelle and Dan du Preez, while counterpart John Mitchell has rather opted for team continuity. As a result, he has turned down the opportunity to use Rudy Paige, while Handré Pollard earns a belated place on the bench.

For the Bulls to have any hope, they will know that their forwards needs to dominate up front, while aiming to starve the Sharks of possession.

Yet, the fact of the matter is that the Sharks’ pack has been strengthened this week, and they should once again lay the foundation for a victory that will further strengthen the home team’s table-topping position of ascendancy.

Sharks – 15 Garth April, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Jeremy Ward, 12 Marius Louw, 11 S’bu Nkosi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Dan du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Subs: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Jean Droste, 19 Tera Mtembu, 20 Cameron Wright, 21 Tristan Blewett, 22 Rhyno Smith.

Blue Bulls – 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Duncan Matthews, 13 Burger Odendaal (c), 12 JT Jackson, 11 Johnny Kotze, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Jano Venter, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Nic de Jager, 5 Aston Fortuin, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Edgar Marutlulle, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Subs: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Matthys Basson, 18 Tim Agaba, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Handre Pollard, 22 Ulrich Beyers.

WESTERN PROVINCE vs GRIQUAS (Saturday, 17:15)

Western Province will still be smarting after last weekend’s disappointing 22-12 defeat against the Pumas, which also see WP commit a shocking total of 34 handling errors.

Coach John Dobson suggested that high error-rate was a ‘freak aberration’, but conceded that the result was a blow for Province’s ambitious playoff hopes.

Fourth-placed Province do still have a game in hand, and will know that a home semi-final remains in sight if they finish the pool stages with a sequence of wins, but another loss or two along the way could just as easily see them miss out altogether.

As it is, the Pumas and Bulls will not have given up hope of sneaking into the top four, although it’s Province that remain in control of their own destiny.

Dobson has been able to bolster the side with the inclusion of Springboks Dillyn Leyds, Damian de Allende and Wilco Louw, and they will be targeting a comfortable bonus-point win against the low-lying Griquas, who have managed just two wins all season.

Western Province – 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Werner Kok, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Jaco Coetzee, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Chris van Zyl (c), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Chad Solomon, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Subs: 16 Dean Muir, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Johan du Toit, 19 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 20 Justin Phillips, 21 Robert du Preez, 22 Ruhan Nel.

Griquas – 15 Eric Zana, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Kyle Steyn, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Enver Brandt, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Renier Botha, 8 Kevin Kaba, 7 Sias Koen (c), 6 De Wet Kruger, 5 Jonathan Janse van Rensburg, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Nicolaas Oosthuizen, 2 Wilmar Arnoldi, 1 Devon Martinus.
Subs: 16 AJ le Roux, 17 Liam Hendricks, 18 Shaun McDonald, 19 Conway Pretorius, 20 Christiaan Meyer, 22 Christopher Bosch, 23 AJ Coertzen.

Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix