Following a challenging campaign, with the suspension of sporting events - due to the Covid -19 pandemic and doubts whether any competition would take place - the Currie Cup winners will finally be decided when the Bulls host the Sharks in the final at Loftus Versfeld this afternoon. Independent Media Rugby writers predict the outcome of the match-up:
Ashfak Mohamed: I asked Jake White whether he feels he has a few scores to settle with the Sharks in the final, and he seemed surprised by the question.
But he might well remember the contentious circumstances around his departure from Kings Park in 2014 after just one year in charge – having taken the Sharks to a Super Rugby semi-final. To make matters worse, his boss was his former Springbok captain, John Smit.
White was quick to divert from the ‘scores’ issue, instead pointing to the lack of trophies at Loftus Versfeld over the last decade as the prime motivation for the Bulls.
That’s true, but be sure that he will have his charges in a frenzy by kick-off. While there are a number of huge individual battles – like Duane Vermeulen against Sikhumbuzo Notshe – it is the hunger for success that will sway things the way of the home side.
Prediction: Bulls to win by 7
Mike Greenaway: Call me a parochial Durbanite but 30 years after Natal shocked Northern Transvaal in the 1990 final I am predicting another famous upset. It is a gut feel I have about a Sharks team that played sublime rugby last February and March to top Super Rugby at lockdown. Six months later, rugby resumed and the Sharks have not been able to recapture that irresistible form but they have shown glimpses of it, and they keep threatening to rediscover that rhythm. Their biggest enemy post lockdown has been the inability to field the same team in consecutive games — until now. Sean Everitt has the same match 23 for this final that he had last week in the semi-final, and it is also the strongest team the Sharks can put on the field. There is so much talent in this Sharks side and they will click at the best possible time.
Prediction: Sharks to win by 5
Morgan Bolton: The Bulls have already lifted the Super Rugby Unlocked title and today they will hold aloft the Currie Cup, too.
Look, the Sharks have done an admirable job of getting to the final, and they can pump themselves up psychologically by reminding themselves that they beat the Bulls last year in a nail-biter, but all things considered, they will find it tough to repeat that triumph at Loftus Versfeld.
Jake White's team will be desperate to win the Cup - they haven't done so since 2009 - and you'd expect them to throw every last ounce of their strength at the Sharks in the pursuit of the championship. They are highly motivated, welldrilled, and uncompromising in the application of their gameplan.
The Sharks are still a young unit of players that can easily be imposed upon, and that is a staple of the Bulls play - bullying, nay grinding, the opposition into submission.
They will strangle the Sharks this weekend, and eventually break their spirits in the second half.
Prediction: Bulls by 10 or more
Wynona Louw: This is the one game where an individual match-up is going to be bigger than the contest between the two teams. This head-to-head won’t be a battle within the battle - it will be the battle. Morne Steyn versus Curwin Bosch.
When you have two deadeye kickers in a final, precision off the tee is bound to play a big role.
While the Sharks lost their previous two encounters at Loftus (where the Bulls haven’t lost a game since rugby’s resumption), they came away with the W in their last encounter in Durban. The Bulls missed a kick to tie that game, a fact which perfectly illustrates the massive role the goal-kickers will play in this final.
But recent history won’t count for much today, neither will set-piece dominance and Book-ofRecords-worthy tries if those conversions and penalty shots are wasted. And that’s where Bosch is going to shine.
Prediction: Sharks win by 7