Currie Cup Rugby Final 2015: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info and Predictions
The Currie Cup Final 2015 will be a rematch of last year's final, as the undefeated Xerox Golden Lions will seek revenge for last year's 19-16 loss against DHL Western Province.
The defending champions will be appearing in their fourth consecutive final, winning two of three, but after an inconsistent 2015 season, they'll enter Saturday's final as the underdogs against a Golden Lions squad that has looked absolutely dominant for most of the year.
Western Province have an impressive championship pedigree, however, and the unexpected 23-18 win over the Vodacom Blue Bulls has put momentum squarely in their corner heading into the match in Johannesburg.
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Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: 12:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. Local
Venue: Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
TV info: The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports 4 (for UK viewers) and Super Sport (for South African viewers)
Live Stream: Sky Go, Super Sport Live Video
Team News
As expected, the defending champions will field the same team on Saturday as the one that shocked Vodacom Blue Bulls in the semi-finals, with Johnny Kotze recovering from a knock to the knee in time to make the squad, per Super Sport.
Coach John Dobson told the team's official website (h/t Super Sport) he believes continuity could be the key to success for his team:
"We have a massive task ahead of us on Saturday, so it was good to retain this kind of (selection) continuity ahead of the final. The Lions deserve to be hosting this weekend’s final. They’re unbeaten and have been consistently brilliant throughout the season, so we are certainly up against it.
There is a certain amount of resilience in this team of ours. I thought the guys showed good signs against the Bulls last week, but we certainly need to take it up a notch against this Lions side who will be looking to make up for last year’s final and ensure their current unbeaten run is rewarded with some silverware.
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Steven Kitshoff will be playing in his final match for Western Province before he leaves for France to play for Bordeaux, and as one of the catalysts behind the team's incredible success in the last couple of years, the loose-head prop will be anxious to go out with a bang.
Golden Lions will make three changes, with Robbie Coetzee starting at hooker in place of Malcolm Marx, Kwagga Smith introduced in favour of Stephan de Witt at the No. 7 and Rohan Janse van Rensburg replacing Stokkies Hanekom, per Super Sport.
Top point scorer Marnitz Boshoff is once again expected to be the top man for the favourites after his 23-point outing in the 43-33 win over Free State Cheetahs. Super Sport think he and WP's Cheslin Kolbe will be the key men to watch:
"Boshoff has a laser boot, and this season he has rediscovered his superb kicking form. He is also a good distributer and has an appetite for attacking the gain line. Apart from Boshoff, the Lions will be looking to their high-tempo game and also their industrious work rate at the breakdown area to punch through WP’s defense.
Kolbe, an outstanding Springbok Sevens player, has the X-factor and the skills to create scoring opportunities from nothing. He aptly demonstrated this in WP’s playoff win over the Blue Bulls in Pretoria last weekend when he initiated one try with a quick throw-in and then displayed superb reflexes to catch an awkward bouncing ball to score the winning try.
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Golden Lions' attack has been awesome in 2015, and the hosts appear to score almost at will at times. Their pace out wide proved too much for Western Province to handle in Week 9, when they easily beat their rivals 62-32, but WP have been here before and know how to handle themselves in a Currie Cup final.
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