Currie Cup preview | Round five

With only three rounds remaining before the semi-finals, every log point is becoming increasingly valuable in the race for playoff qualification in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division. This coming weekend sees two matches staged on Friday and one each on Saturday and Sunday.

 

The Fidelity ADT Lions and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers kick off the round-five action when they meet from 15h00 at Wits University on Friday. That clash is followed by the meeting in Kimberley between log leaders Suzuki Griquas and the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV, starting at 17h05.

 

The Airlink Pumas welcome the DHL Stormers XXIII to the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday for their 17h00 game, and the round’s action concludes on Sunday when the Vodacom Bulls XV host second-placed Toyota Cheetahs in a 15h00 kick-off at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

 

The weekend’s opening fixture between the Fidelity ADT Lions and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers at Wits on Friday afternoon carries enormous significance for two teams still very much in the semi-final race. The Gautengers occupy third place on the log with 12 points after winning two of their opening four matches, while Boland are fifth on 11 points after a promising start to the campaign.

 

Last weekend's results, however, told contrasting stories. The Lions suffered a 31-19 defeat to Griquas in Kimberley, while the Kavaliers were frustrated by a determined Sharks XV outfit, going down 19-12 in Durban.

 

The men from Joburg remain one of the competition's most potent attacking teams, having scored 140 points and 20 tries in four matches, the highest points tally in the competition. Earlier victories over the Pumas (52-29) and Bulls XV (42-19) highlighted their attacking capability at home.

 

Boland, meanwhile, have been one of the strong outfits of the season, opening their campaign with victories over the Bulls XV and Stormers XXIII before narrowly losing to the Pumas and Sharks XV.

 

The previous two meetings between the sides are even, with the Lions beating the Kavaliers by 67-19 in one of the two semi-finals last September in response to the Bolanders’ 29-10 win a month earlier in Wellington.

 

Coincidentally, both these teams have also each won two of their respective five previous games in all competitions, which means we are in for a very competitive match in Joburg on Friday afternoon.

 

Next up is the late afternoon match between Suzuki Griquas and the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in Kimberley, at 17h05.

 

The defending champions continue to gather momentum, moving to the top of the standings after dispatching the Lions 31-19 in Kimberley last week, maintaining their impressive home form and improving their record to three wins from four matches.

 

The Sharks, meanwhile, revived their playoff hopes with a hard-fought 19-12 victory over the Kavaliers and now sit seventh, just two points outside the top four.

 

The men from the Northern Cape have built their success on a potent balance between attack and defence. They top the standings, have scored 130 points scored and boast notable wins over the Bulls XV, Cheetahs and Lions. Their only setback came in the opening round against the Stormers XXIII.

 

The Durbanites have shown significant improvement after opening with an away win over the Pumas, followed by defeats against the Cheetahs and Stormers XXIII, before bouncing back last week against Boland.

 

In terms of the head-to-head between these sides, it is the men from Kimberley who have a 3-2 advantage over a five-game stretch in this competition, while they are also 4-3 to the good in terms of their current form over seven games overall, including a three-game winning streak.

 

The Airlink Pumas return home for their Saturday encounter with the DHL Stormers XXIII, knowing victory could propel them firmly into the top four. The team from Mpumalanga produced one of the results of the season last weekend when they edged the Bulls XV 33-31 at Loftus, securing an important away win that lifted them to fourth on the log.

 

The Stormers XXIII, in contrast, suffered a narrow 31-26 defeat to the Cheetahs despite a spirited performance at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.

 

After an inconsistent opening month, the Pumas appear to be finding rhythm. Since losing to the Lions in round two, they have recorded consecutive victories against Boland and the Bulls XV.

 

The Capetonians have shown flashes of quality throughout the tournament. They began by defeating Griquas and later overcame the Sharks XV, but heavy defeats to the Kavaliers and the recent loss to the Free Staters have left them sixth on the standings.

 

In head-to-head encounters, the Cape side lead 3-2 over five games between them, while their respective form guides over the same number of games also favour the Stormers XXIII by the same margin.

 

The final match of the round on Sunday sees a rejuvenated Toyota Cheetahs side travel to Pretoria to face a Vodacom Bulls XV team still searching for their first victory of the season.

 

The Free Staters climbed to second place on the standings, level on points with Griquas, after their dramatic 31-26 victory over the Stormers XXIII in Cape Town, while the Bulls XV remain rooted to the bottom of the table after their heartbreaking 33-31 loss to the Pumas last weekend.

 

The Bloemfontein outfit have quietly assembled one of the strongest form guides in the competition. Since their opening-round victory over the Lions, they have also beaten the Sharks XV and Stormers XXIII, with their only defeat coming in a narrow 24-21 contest away to Griquas. Their attack has produced 124 points and 19 tries in four matches, illustrating why many view them as genuine title contenders.

 

While the men from Pretoria are winless, their performances have arguably been more competitive than the standings suggest. They pushed both the Pumas and Cheetahs hard and were in contention deep into several matches.

 

The two sides are even at two wins each, plus a draw, over their last five Carling Currie Cup outings, and another even and tightly contested encounter is expected. On current form, the Bulls XV have lost four of their last five games, while the Cheetahs have managed to win three games during this period.

 

Match information:

 

Fidelity ADT Lions v Sanlam Boland Kavaliers

Date: Friday, 14 August 2026

Venue: Wits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen

TV: SuperSport

 

Suzuki Griquas v Hollywoodbets Sharks XV

Date: Friday, 14 August 2026

Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley

Kick-off: 17h05

Referee: Griffin Colby

TV: SuperSport

 

Airlink Pumas v DHL Stormers XXIII

Date: Saturday, 15 August 2026

Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Kick-off: 17h00

Referee: Christopher Allison

TV: SuperSport

 

Vodacom Bulls XV v Toyota Cheetahs

Date: Sunday, 16 August 2026

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Jonathan Lottering

TV: SuperSport