Western Province vs Griquas
Western Province bounced back with a narrow victory over the Sharks last week while Griquas ran the Pumas very close before losing 26-22. Province have finally shifted Tim Swiel to flyhalf and it proved to be a masterstroke as he was brilliant. He controlled the game expertly with his boot and was accurate of the tee. Province still seem to be struggling with their attack and relied on penalties to get them over the line against the Sharks. The Griquas also had a tough encounter against the high flying Pumas and were in with a chance of causing an upset right till the final whistle. They have the never say die attitude and are also superbly marshalled by their flyhalf George Whitehead. The battle at 10 could decide who wins this contest. As is the nature with the local derbies the match is always fierce up front with the forwards. Western Province certainly has the advantage in this department and they also have dynamic wingers like Seabelo Senatla and Edwill van der Merwe. They are two of the fastest men in rugby and van der Merwe in particular has been in sparkling form this season drawing comparisons with the great Cheslin Kolbe. Griquas will have problems with fatigue as they played just 4 days ago and this could be a telling factor especially late in the game. The game management will be crucial but Whitehead will know that if he kicks aimlessly then the province back three will be running rings around them all day long.
TIP: The Griquas struggled at scrum time in their last match and no doubt Western Province will be looking to attack this area. Province has one of the best scrums in the competition and will look to assert their dominance early in the match. Griquas will need their maul defence to be strong as this is a major attacking weapon for the Province team. The player that impresses me every game that Province plays is number 9 Paul de Wet. The little scrumhalves has the pace of a winger and has been scoring tries regularly this season. His eye for the gap is excellent and look out for him around the edges of the rucks and mauls. The bookies have Western Province as heavy favourites for this game and I agree with this selection. The best odds on the Province win can be found at Worldsportsbetting 1.07, Playabets 1.07 and Sunbet 1.12
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Western Province vs Griquas
- In the Last five meetings between the sides there have been three wins for Province and two for the Griquas.
- In the last eight home matches against the Griquas, Province have only lost once..
- The last time Province lost to Griquas at home was in 2019.
Latest results for both teams
Province won their last match against the Sharks 32-31 while Griquas lost their las match against the Pumas 26-22.
PREDICTION
The Griquas will be hoping that some of their injured players will be available for this match. They are a side that never gives up no matter how far behind they are in the match. That fighting ability makes me believe that this should be a fairly tight contest. Griquas winger Eduan Keyter is one of the form players in the Currie Cup and they will once again look to him to get them going forward. Province in their prime had the best defence in the competition but have been leaking a lot of points this season and no doubt Coach Dobson would have been working really hard on shoring up the defence. Griquas are not the greatest attacking team so they also need their defence to be rock solid to make this a close contest. Western Province have too much class and quality and will comfortable win this contest. I predict a Province win by 10 points
- Probable Starting XVs
Western Province
15 Sergeal Petersen, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Cornel Smit, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 David Meihuizen, 4 Ernst van Rhyn (captain), 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Reinach Venter, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Griquas
15 Masixole Banda, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Jay-Cee Nel, 12 Andre Swarts, 11 Eduan Keyter, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Hanru Sirgel, 7 Sibabalo Qoma, 6 Ruan Steenkamp (captain), 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Jeandré Leonard, 3 Andries Schutte, 2 Hendrick Luus, 1 Andrew Beerwinkel.
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Western Province victory are as follows:
Worldsportsbetting 1.07
Playabets 1.07
Sunbet 1.12
Odds comparison on the Griquas handicap:
The complete odds on the Griquas handicap:
Worldsportsbetting (+18.5) 1.90
Sunbet (+17.5) 1.87
Playabets (+17.5) 1.81
Predictions and Odds in details
Griquas are not one of the major unions so they struggle with squad depth and it remains to be seen if they will cope with two matches in four days. Province have a very strong team and in this match and will want nothing less than a bonus point victory. The home team have struggled for fluidity in attack and have relied on their rolling maul to score tries. The defence of the maul by Griquas will ultimately decide if they will be competitive in this match. They need their experienced players like Captain Ruan Steenkamp and Stefan Ungerer to step up in this match. They have already lost two matches and another loss and their playoff hopes will be fast disappearing. The bookies are offering very poor returns on the Province outright victory therefore I suggest the Griquas on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Worldsportsbetting (+18.5) 1.90, Sunbet (+17.5) 1.87 and Playabets (+17.5) 1.81
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
