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Sharks to take the Currie Cup in extra-time at Loftus on Saturday. The thrilling victory meant they completed a unique Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup double in Jake White’s first season in charge of the Pretoria outfit. It was a game that lacked only in fans in the stands. Maybe it was the equaliser – the only way to keep the match as tight as it was. The blue-blooded Bulls fans would have added an extra shove in the scrum or drive with just their noise. The visitors again struggled to get their lineout going, a crippling Achilles heel when they lost 41-14 at Loftus during Super Rugby Unlocked, with the long arm of lock Sintu Manjezi a nuisance to hooker Fezokuhle Mbatha’s throw-ins. ....
On Saturday the Bulls will host the Sharks in the first January Currie Cup final at an empty Loftus Versfeld. Different date, different conditions, different world but the same goal – winning South Africa’s premier domestic competition. The two most deserving sides, in this most trying of seasons, will meet in the final for the fifth time in history, with each having won two of the previous encounters. They are currently the two sides with the most forward-thinking boardrooms and the two teams with squads filled with experience and raw talent. Flyhalf Morné Steyn steered the Bulls to their last Currie Cup title nearly 12 years ago – their fifth in the eight years at the time. Steyn scored 21 points as the Bulls beat the Cheetahs 36-24 in 2009. It’s almost impossible to imagine that the Bulls have only appeared in one final (2016) since. ....
Anton Geyser/Gallo Images Should they win, it will be their 24th title, but first since 2009. The men from Pretoria have the players and the coach to do the job. With 23 titles, it would be easy to say the Bulls are perennial Currie Cup contenders. The past 11 and a bit years paint a different story. The Bulls have underperformed in the domestic tournament for various reasons and when they ve got to the play-offs, they’ve choked. Under Jake White, they have been a different breed of cattle, one the Sharks they cannot afford to underestimate when the sides meet in Saturday s Currie Cup final at Loftus Versfeld. ....
Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images Jake White is drawing on his experience in French rugby to help his Bulls navigate the potential minefield of going into the Currie Cup semis as the team that finished top of the log. As the Bulls director of rugby notes, finishing top and not having much game time going into a playoff can become a stumbling block. In terms of their game plan, the Bulls don t plan on going into their shell for the clash against the Lions. While the four Currie Cup semi-finalists almost equal lack of game-time going into this weekend s round of playoffs is undeniably a leveller for all, Jake White is hoping to draw on his experiences in the French Top 14 previously to help his Bulls navigate the minefield. ....