Currie Cup teams must tread carefully

Sharks assistant coach Grant Bashford, on the Sharks website, says with this in mind the Sharks won’t go into Saturday’s match unaware of the necessity to remain focused.

“What you tend to find is that later in the campaign the smaller Unions pick up injuries and if they don’t have the depth, they fall away,” Bashford said to the website.

“So catching them in the early stages of the competition is never an easy game, they can become really dangerous.

“Every year when they start at full strength in the Currie Cup, there are often upsets.”

It is still a vivid recollection for Western Province how lowly Valke beat them at Brakpan last year – one of only two Valke wins last year and a result that cost WP a place in the Currie Cup play-offs.

While one cannot mention Griquas in the same context, they are not yet one of the top sides, despite their greater depth and Vodacom Cup success this year.

Their win over the Free State last weekend will undoubtedly ensure they are not taken lightly for the remainder of the season.

The Kavaliers at home also caused some anxious moments for their opponents in 2008, who also found that a bonus point at Wellington was not just there for the taking.

One suspects the Leopards, especially at home, will also be a tough nut once they find their feet in a competition where the pace and power are simply more than they would have experienced previously.

Their fight-back against the Kavaliers last weekend, when the home side could do little more than score three points in the second half and hold on for an eight-point win, is proof of their resolve.

Griquas will do well to keep their feet on the ground after last week’s good win when the play the Leopards in Kimberley this weekend.