Anticipated matches of this round will see the Pumas looking to bounce back from their loss to the Griquas two weeks ago when they take on the host Cheetahs.
The other notable fixture for this weekend features the Lions in Johannesburg against the Sharks while defending champions and log leaders Bulls have a bye this weekend.
Pumas VS Cheetahs
The Pumas will be looking to bounce back from their loss to the Griquas two weeks ago when they host the Cheetahs in the early kickoff on Saturday at Mbombela Stadium Nelspruit.
The Pumas will be aiming to make home ground advantage count when they welcome the Cheetahs to their Lowveld base in Saturday’s early afternoon clash.
The men from Mpumalanga were outplayed by a determined Griquas outfit in their previous outing, while the Free Staters made it two from two courtesy of a convincing 38-25 victory win over the Bulls in Pretoria.
In last year’s fixture between the two sides that was played in Nelspruit, both teams managed to score three tries, but the Pumas prevailed 28-19 thanks to three successful penalty goals.
Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie made minor tweaks to his starting selection for the trip to Nelspruit with Daniel Kasende getting the nod at right wing and Springbok speedster Rosco Specman moving over to the left wing to replace injured Enver Brandt.
Pick: Cheetahs Wins by 3/10 at BetXchange
Lions VS Sharks
Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi has named an exciting match 23 ahead for his side’s Currie Cup encounter against the Sharks at the Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.
Nkosi believes his troops will be eager to have a crack at the Sharks this weekend, a month after their opening home game against the Pumas in Johannesburg.
The starting XV boasts three players fresh from United Rugby Championship (URC) duty namely prop forward JP Smith and the Tshituka brothers.
The backline compilation promises to deliver a few exciting runs with Jurich Claasens and Vaughen Isaacs tasked to marshal the attack for the Lions.
Sharks will look to continue with momentum they have been building and coach Etienne Fynn is expecting his charges to execute their game plan to perfection.
Opportunities afforded to eighthman Sikhumbuzo Notshe, flyhalf Curwin Bosch and centre Marius Louw at United Rugby Championship (URC) level has opened the door for the likes of Thembelani Bholi and Murray Koster to get starts.
The opportunities for players to move up to the URC squad has also had a positive knock-on effect for promising youngsters like 2021 SA U20 player young Bradley Davids who has been called up to the senior team.
Pick: Sharks Wins by 2/9 at BetXchange
