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CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 3
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CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
MESSAGE
PRESIDENT OF SA RUGBY
Welcome to this exciting meeting in the Carling Currie Cup, which remains the premier provincial competition on the South African rugby landscape as we have started the process of re-aligning the local season. As the oldest provincial rugby competition in the world, the Carling Currie Cup has always provided a magnificent pathway for players to show they have what it takes to step up to high-intensity action at the top level. This year, more than ever before, we are looking forward to our teams unearthing the next generation of Springbok stars by providing playing opportunities to the best local talent. The Carling Currie Cup is about respectful rivalry, provincial passion, ambition, pride and community, with local support always at very high levels.
promises to be an exciting and challenging double round of action, culminating in the playoffs late in June. I’d also like to thank our broadcast partner, SuperSport, and our tournament sponsor, Carling Black Label, for their continued support, as well as all the team partners who invest in the local game, ensuring we can deliver a top-class product week in and week out. Thank you also to everyone who has worked hard behind the scenes to make the 2022 edition of the Carling Currie Cup happen, all the players and staff and all other important stakeholders. MARK ALEXANDER
President: SA Rugby
And then, there is the drama and intrigue associated with the Carling Currie Cup – will be Vodacom Bulls continue their domination of the last two seasons, or will a new team step up to lift the coveted gold trophy in June? Good luck to all the teams for what CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 5
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CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
CONTENTS 10 14 20 23 24
MATCH PREVIEW | 10
MATCH PREVIEW
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS KICK OFF 17H45
MAJOR MATCH UP KEYTER VS DU PLESSIS
FIXTURES & LOG CURRIE CUP
SPONSORS THE SHARKS
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 7
8
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 9
MATCH PREVIEW
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW… WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP
The worldwide rugby landscape has undergone dramatic changes over the past two years and this week we’re witnessing a whole new dawn for the 133-year-old Carling Currie Cup competition too. The Cell C Sharks are fizzing to kick off their participation in this historic event on a winning note against Griquas tonight… Carling Currie Cup rugby in January? Pretty unusual, isn’t it? The unfamiliar kick-off date for the South African domestic showpiece, however, is due to the realignment of the SA Rugby season to fit in with the northern hemisphere timetable, now that the Cell C Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls are competing in the United Rugby Championship. The 2022 edition of the Carling Currie Cup was launched this past weekend, and tonight the Cell C Sharks open their account against Griquas at Hollywoodbets Kings Park. Interestingly enough, it is exactly 130 years since Natal and Griqualand West first did battle in the Carling Currie Cup arena, in Kimberley back in 1892. 10 CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
Griquas, with a new man in charge in the shape of former CUT Varsity Cup coach Pieter Bergh, who took over the reins from Scott Mathie, suffered a narrow 20-30 loss at the hands of the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein this past Saturday. The Peacock Blues scored two tries to the Cheetahs’ three as they pushed the encounter down to the wire. The Cell C Sharks will no doubt not underestimate the visitors from Kimberley tonight, as these two sides have engaged in some right royal battles over the years, and today is sure to be no exception. The last occasion on which the Cell C Sharks and Griquas met was during the semi-finals of last year’s Carling Currie Cup tournament, with the Durban-based outfit persevering for a hard-fought 28-24
victory at Hollywoodbets Kings Park. The Cell C Sharks, with a new Carling Currie Cup coach too in the form of ex-Springbok prop and scrummaging guru, Etienne Fynn, will also be wary of the additional challenges that the four URC franchises are facing, in terms of having to share manpower between two competitions that are running concurrently. A quick glance at tonight’s Cell C Sharks’ lineup for their opening Carling Currie Cup assignment, though, indicates that the Durban-based franchise boasts extremely healthy depth across all positions, that should stand them in excellent stead in both the URC and Carling Currie Cup. As a matter of fact, the Cell C Sharks, who were finalists last year, will be fizzing to go one better in 2022 and claim a ninth Carling Currie Cup title this year.
THE CELL C SHARKS WILL NO DOUBT NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE VISITORS FROM KIMBERLEY TONIGHT, AS THESE TWO SIDES HAVE ENGAGED IN SOME RIGHT ROYAL BATTLES OVER THE YEARS With a view to that, Fynn’s charges will be aiming to maximise hometown advantage from the start and bag a full haul of championship points at Hollywoodbets Kings Park tonight. Next Wednesday, the Cell C Sharks are hosting Western Province, before embarking on a road trip involving three consecutive away games against the Lions, Pumas and Bulls respectively. The boys will only be back in action in The
Shark Tank on March 23, when they take on the visiting Cheetahs. It is vital, therefore, that the first two matches on home soil, against Griquas tonight and WP next week, set the tone for what is shaping up as yet another highly successful Carling Currie Cup campaign for the Cell C Sharks. CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 11
#WEARERHINO
12 CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
@TheSharks
@TheSharksZA
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 13
CELL C SHARKS
HEAD COACH ETIENNE FYNN
MANAGER
LUSANDA MTIYA
14 CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
ANTHONY VOLMINK
15
YAW PENXE
14
WERENER KOK
13
(C) MARIUS LOUW
12
EDUAN KEYTER
11
JORDAN CHAIT
10
CAMERON WRIGHT
09
MPILO GUMEDE
08
OJ NOA
07
THEMBELANI BHOLI
06
EMILE VAN HEERDEN
05
GERBRANDT GROBLER
04
LOURENS ADRIAANSE
03
DAN JOOSTE
02
KHWEZI MONA
01
JASON ALEXANDER
16
DIAN BLEULER
17
WIEHAHN HERBST
18
CORNE RAHL
19
JOSH MOON
20
SANELE NOHAMBA
21
MURRAY KOSTER
22
MARNUS POTGIETER
23
KICK OFF 17H45 REFEREE RASTA RASHIVENGE
TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
5
ASHLON DAVIDS
4
MUNIER HARTZENBERG
3
CHRISTOPHER HOLLIS
2
RYNHARDT JONKER
1
LUTHER OBI
0
ZANDER DU PLESSIS
9
STEFAN UNGERER
8
RUAN STEENKAMP (C)
7
SIBA QOMA
6
NIEL OTTO
5
DERIK PRETORIUS
4
MZWANELE ZITO
3
JANU BOTHA
2
ALANDRE VAN ROOYEN
1
EDDIE DAVIDS
6
JANCO UYS
7
KUDZWAI DUBE
8
JUSTIN FORWOOD
9
JOHAN RETIEF
0
MICHEAL AMIRAS
1
RAEGAN ORANJE
2
THEO BOSHOFF
3
SANGO XAMLASHE ASSISTANT REFEREES PAUL MENTE & YANGA SOTSHANGANE TMO QUINTON IMMELMAN
HEAD COACH PIETER BERGH
MANAGER
LANCE SALTER
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MAJOR MATCHUP
KEYTER V HARTZENBERG Eduan Keyter is coming up against his former team-mates as one of half a dozen players making their Carling Currie Cup debuts for the Cell C Sharks against Griquas tonight. Keyter emerged as quite a sensation on the wing for Griquas, running in 18 tries in 31 appearances since his debut for the Peacock Blues in 2019. The 25-year-old was also one of the two top try-scorers in last year’s Carling Currie Cup, with a tally of eight, and is fizzing to take his career new levels at the Cell C Sharks. Keyter’s direct opponent tonight is one of a host of exciting young talent in the Griquas’ mix. Winging it for Maties during last Year’s FNB Varsity Cup, Munier Hartzenberg was voted Back That Rocks, pipping the likes of centre Evardi Boshoff (UCT Ikeys) and fullback Zander du Plessis (UP Tuks) in the process. Hartzenberg also emerged as the Stellenbosch students’ top try-scorer in the tournament with a tally of five. The 24-year-old was subsequently signed by Griquas ahead of this year’s Carling Currie Cup competition and made his debut against the Cheetahs on Saturday.
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WELCOME TO
THE SHARKS ACADEMY
THE SHARKS ACADEMY IS A WORLD-CLASS SOCCER AND RUGBY ACADEMY WHICH IS BACKED BY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SHARKS.
@THESHARKSACADEMY @SHARKSACADEMY @SHARKS_ACADEMY CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 21
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CURRIE CUP LOG TEAM CELL C SHARKS
P
W
D
L
PD
PTS
0
0
0
0
0
0
VODACOM BULLS
0
0
0
0
0
0
TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
0
0
0
0
0
0
DHL WESTERN PROVINCE
0
0
0
0
0
0
NEW NATION PUMAS
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOYOTA CHEETAHS
0
0
0
0
0
0
SIGMA LIONS
0
0
0
0
0
0
CURRIE CUP FIXTURES / RESULTS R0UND 2
WED, 19 JAN
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS
R0UND 3
WED, 2 FEB
CELL C SHARKS VS DHL WESTERN PROVINCE
R0UND 4
SAT, 19 FEB R0UND 5
FRI, 4 MAR R0UND 6
WED, 16 MAR R0UND 7
WED, 23 MAR
SIGMA LIONS VS CELL C SHARKS NEW NATION PUMAS VS CELL C SHARKS VODACOM BULLS VS CELL C SHARKS CELL C SHARKS VS TOYOTA CHEETAHS
R0UND 8
WED, 6 APR R0UND 9
SAT, 16 APR R0UND 10
SAT, 7 MAY
TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS VS CELL C SHARKS CELL C SHARKS VS VODACOM BULLS CELL C SHARKS VS NEW NATION PUMAS
R0UND 11
SAT, 14 MAY R0UND 13
SAT, 4 JUNE
TOYOTA CHEETAHS VS CELL C SHARKS CELL C SHARKS VS SIGMA LIONS
R0UND 14
SAT, 11 JUNE
DHL WESTERN PROVINCE VS CELL C SHARKS
HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN AWAY EMIRATES AIRLINE PARK, JHB AWAY MBOMBELA STADIUM, NELSPRUIT AWAY LOFTUS VERSFELD, PRETORIA HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN AWAY TAFEL LAGER PARK, KIMBERLEY HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN AWAY TOYOTA STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN HOME HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN AWAY CAPE TOWN STADIUM, CPT
CELL C SHARKS VS TAFEL LAGER GRIQUAS 23
TITLE SPONSOR
APPAREL SPONSOR
STADIUM SPONSOR
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OFFICIAL PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
STADIUM PARTNERS
MEDICAL SPONSORS
CLUB COMPETITION SPONSORS
DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS
CLUB SPONSORS
ACADEMY SPONSORS
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