Two teams coming off very different results in Round 1 of the 2025 Currie Cup meet on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
Blue Bulls were impressive on the road last weekend, taking down Western Province 48-23 in Cape Town. Sharks were not nearly as good on their travels, getting smashed 46-5 by Golden Lions.
Here is a look ahead at a vital Round 2 match.
Bulls VS Sharks Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Bulls VS Sharks Date: Saturday, August 2
Bulls VS Sharks Odds:
History
In its current format, the Currie Cup Premier Division is a blink-and-you-miss-it tournament. The eight teams play a single round robin, some home and some away, before the top four qualify for the semi-finals.
This means that losing two games in a row to start the season is a disaster, with any chance of making the finals disappearing before the season has even begun.
These are two sides with a proud Currie Cup history. Their semi-final last year ended at 40 points apiece after extra time, with Sharks progressing to the final as they scored six tries to four from Bulls. Sharks then claimed the trophy, beating the Lions 16-14 in a tight encounter.
If the Sharks have any aspirations of making another run to the playoffs and defending their title deep into the season, they need a major bounce-back performance.
Bulls
It will not be easy for the Sharks, given how well the Bulls played last time out. It was a physically imposing, impressively structured performance, the type of performance it is each to repeat week after week in a competition like the Currie Cup. There were no smoke and mirrors here, just a team setting their stall out in Round 1 and putting the rest of the league on notice.
The Bulls have a few injury issues. The main change to their team is Jaco van der Walt stepping in at flyhalf. This means that Boeta Chamberlain, who was very impressive in Round 1, is shifted to the fullback jersey. Another change in the backline sees Bok flyer Aphiwe Dyantyi starting on the wing.
Sharks
The sharks’ lack of Boks and URC players means that this is being seen as a developmental season. Their squad verges on that of an age group selection, throwing some of their younger players into the fire to see who stands up to be counted in the top tier of domestic competition.
They totalled just over 100 caps in their loss last week to the Lions, and gametime experience at this level cannot be replicated earlier in the system.
Best Bets
The form over the last five meetings is shockingly tight. Each side has won two games, with that semi-final draw as the fifth result. Even more wild, the Bulls and Sharks have averaged 29 points each across those five meetings.
I don’t expect this one to be nearly that close. The line is set at 21.5 in favor of the home side. The Sharks will be better than last week, but they will still struggle to cover that number. Bulls by something in the 17 point range.
