Currie Cup 2024 Playoff Scenario Ahead of Big Weekend
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
After seeing the Cheetahs dominate the group stage of the Currie Cup in each of the last two seasons, this term it is the Golden Lions that have returned to the summit after a dismal campaign in 2023, which saw them miss out on the playoffs.
SportyTrader will be covering both semi-final matches as well as the Grand Final on September 21, so be sure to check out our expert's Currie Cup predictions to help guide your betting decisions
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Golden Lions Roar to Home Semis
The Golden Lions had two poor seasons domestically, missing out on the knockout round of this competition in 2022 and 2023, but this year, they have come good at just the right time, and regardless of the events over the final weekend in the group stage, they will be assured of a home semi-final.
Rooibontes enter the final week of the group in pole position with 38 points after nine rounds of the competition, including six bonus points earned by way of tries scored. The Gauteng-based side are also the highest-scoring team in the competition this year with 375 points posted, while they have also had the most miserly defence, conceding just 210 points, 30 fewer than their closest competitor.
The Lions moved to the top of the standings last weekend when they pulled off a sensational against-the-odds 57-33 away victory over the Blue Bulls in Olifantsfontein. Not only did that result put them in a favourable position in the standings, but it would also have given them a massive boost of confidence heading into their final match against minnows the Griffons.
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Blue Bulls Stutter at Crucial Moment
The Blue Bulls were widely considered the team to beat in this year’s Currie Cup and had been inserted as the bookmakers’ favourite to win the title as early as week four when they thrashed Western Province 50-34 on their home patch to take the outright lead in the table.
Barring a 34-34 draw to the defending champions the Cheetahs in week five, the side from Pretoria had won seven of their first eight matches in the group before that unexpected defeat to the Lions last weekend.
Nevertheless, with 37 points to their name, including seven bonus points for tries scored, the Bulls, like the Lions, have already secured a home semi-final, regardless of whether they win, draw, or lose their final outing of the competition down at the Shark Tank on Sunday afternoon.
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Sharks Recover from Slow Start to Book a Playoff Spot
The Sharks, missing several key players owing to the ongoing Rugby Championship, experienced a poor start to the 2024 Currie Cup season, losing each of their first three matches in a row, beaten by the Golden Lions (26-25), Griquas (34-31) and Pumas (31-21) respectively.
However, that loss to last season’s runners-up marked a turning point for the Durban-based outfit, as they bounced back with a 35-22 victory over the Lions on the road in week four and never looked back, rattling off four wins and a draw in their last five matches of the competition.
Last weekend, the Sharks completely annihilated the Griffons 75-19 at Kings Park Stadium on the East Coast, which saw them earn their ninth bonus point of the competition and took them to 31 points, six clear of the Cheetahs, meaning that they too are guaranteed a spot in the final four.
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Catfight to Seal Final Playoff Berth
With the top three spots already locked in, the fourth and final playoff spot will come down to a catfight between last season’s champions and runners-up, the Free State Cheetahs and Pumas respectively.
Both teams faltered at a crucial juncture, as they suffered defeats last weekend, with the Cheetahs falling 44-31 to the Griquas on Friday evening, but the Pumas failed to capitalise, losing 39-30 to Westen Province down in Stellenbosch.
These two sides have produced identical records this season with four wins, four losses and one draw, though the Cheetahs currently hold a one-point advantage courtesy of an additional bonus point for losing by fewer than seven to the Sharks in week seven of the competition.
However, that advantage is completely inconsequential as we head into the final week of the group, as these two are somewhat fittingly set to meet in a make-or-break matchup at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, September 7, where the winner will earn the final playoff berth.
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Western Province, Griquas and Griffons to take Final Bow
Western Province’s underwhelming Currie Cup form continued this season as they only managed three wins from their nine matches leading up to the final week of the group stages, and saw their playoff hopes extinguished a week earlier when they fell to the Sharks on their home patch.
Griquas pulled off two notable victories in 2024, beating the Sharks at home in week two and overcoming Province last weekend, but having only beaten the Griffons in between those victories, they never really looked likely to trouble the sides in contention for the top four places.
As for the Griffons, their struggles in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup got worse this season, as they look set to end the term winless and at the bottom of the standings for a second consecutive campaign. The side from the Northern Free State earned just three bonus points from their nine defeats this year, and like Western Province and the Griquas, they will be taking their final bow in the competition this weekend before commencing preparations in the hope of a better 2025 season.
