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2024 Currie Cup Round 8: It was all glitz and glamour over the weekend in South Africa’s domestic rugby union championship, the Currie Cup, as eight local rugby sides came to grips to secure points and climb the ladder to claim the top spot and book themselves a spot in semifinal stage.
As the competition draws near the end, you know things are about to heat up, and the competitors will show up to compete. This is what we’re seeing in the Currie Cup right now: surprising victories with commanding scores, and remarkable individual and team performances.
Let’s talk about Hollywoodbets Sharks for a moment. Following their stunning victory as the first South African side to win the EPCR Challenge Cup title, their fans were undoubtedly full of confidence and expectation heading into the 2024 Currie Cup season.
However, the KwaZulu-Natal side got off to a rocky start. They opened their campaign with three consecutive losses: 25-26 against the Golden Lions, 34-31 against the Griquas, and 21-31 to the Airlink Pumas.
Nevertheless, they gained momentum unexpectedly and drove forward with ferocity, outperforming practically every opponent they faced. So far this month, they have played four games and have not lost one. They recorded three victories and one draw.
The Sharks’ momentum builds with each game. However, they are not putting the log leaders, the Vodacom Blue Bulls, under any significant pressure. The only team that will undoubtedly keep Blue Bulls Currie Cup head coach Phiwe Nomlomo awake at night is the Golden Lions.
The Fidelity ADT Lions are currently in second place with 33 points, just three behind the Blue Bulls, who are leading with 36 points with two games remaining. Nomlomo’s side has picked up seven wins and drawn one of their eight Currie Cup matches in 2024.
The journey to success will never be easy. That’s exactly how the Vodacom Blue Bulls will go about winning the Currie Cup. They will play the last two matches of the campaign against this year’s most competitive sides, the Golden Lions, on August 31 and the Natal Sharks on September 8. Don’t expect them to cruise smoothly. Nomlomo’s side will not have it easy.
The Natal Sharks are still at risk of missing the semifinals if they lose their remaining games and the Cheetahs and Pumas win theirs. The Cheetahs are in fourth place, behind the Sharks, and are tied with the fifth-placed Pumas, with both teams having 24 points.
Hence, I say the competition is becoming more heated. The Vodacom Blue Bulls aim to finish the league stage undefeated and win the title they last secured in 2021; the Golden Lions are eager to win it for the first time since 2015; and the Natal Sharks are poised to spoil the party and possibly book themselves a spot in the semifinals.
As things stand, the Blue Bulls and Lions have already advanced to the 2024 Currie Cup semifinals. Two semifinal spots are still up for grabs, with the Natal Sharks, Cheetahs, and Pumas all in contention.
On a less cheerful note, the NovaVit Griffons’ losing streak continues, as they suffered another defeat to the Airlink Pumas on Sunday. After eight games, they remain the only team in the competition without a win and have been comprehensively defeated in all their encounters.
Currie Cup Round 8 Results:
- Vodacom Blue Bulls 47 – 24 Suzuki Griquas
- DHL Western Province 23 – 31 Hollywoodbets Sharks
- Toyota Cheetahs XV 21 – 38 Fidelity ADT Lions
- NovaVit Griffons 26 – 45 Airlink Pumas
Currie Cup Round 9 Fixtures:
- Suzuki Giquas Vs Toyota Cheetahs XV, 30 August 2024, 15h00
- Vodacom Blue Bulls Vs Fidelity ADT Lions, 30 August 2024, 17h15
- Hollywoodbets Sharks Vs NovaVit Griffons, 31 August 2024, 13h30
- DHL Western Province Vs Airlink Pumas, 01 September 2024, 15H00
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