DYLAN JACK identifies the standout South African players based on performances in the fourth round of the Currie Cup.

In round four of the Currie Cup, the Cheetahs bounced back from two successive losses with a come-from-behind 35-31 victory over the Pumas in Nelspruit.

Meanwhile, the Lions climbed above the Sharks into second place on the table with a dominant performance from their forwards earning them a 27-12 win against the Durban side in Johannesburg

The Vodacom Bulls had to settle for two points as their fixture against Griquas in Kimberley was cancelled due to Covid-19 protocols after positive tests in the Pretoria camp.

The nature of the Lions’ victory sees 12 of their starting lineup against the Sharks earn a place in this week’s team. This includes an all-Lions tight-five which dominated the Sharks’ scrum and lineout. There were particularly outstanding performances in this regard from loosehead prop Dylan Smith and the lock pair of Willem Alberts and Marvin Orie, while hooker Jaco Visagie was tireless on defence and at the breakdown.

There are two representatives from the Cheetahs in loose-forwards Jeandre Rudolph and Andisa Ntsila, who scored two tries in a man-of-the-match performance against the Pumas.

The Lions have a further six representatives in the backlines, including halfback pair Andre Warner and Elton Jantjies and the centre combination of Dan Kriel and Wandisile Simelane. Wing Courtnall Skosan scored two tries against the Sharks, while fullback Tiaan Swanepoel dealt very well with the Sharks’ kicking game and slotted a long-range penalty and conversion.

Sbu Nkosi is the lone representative from the Sharks as, despite ending up on the losing side, he worked incredibly hard off the ball and made a total of nine tackles.

CURRIE CUP TEAM OF THE WEEK (Round 4)
15 Tiaan Swanepoel (Lions)
14 Sbu Nkosi (Sharks)
13 Wandisile Simelane (Lions)
12 Dan Kriel (Lions)
11 Courtnall Skosan (Lions)
10 Elton Jantjies (Lions)
9 Andre Warner (Lions)
8 Jeandre Rudolph (Cheetahs)
7 Wilhelm van der Sluys (Lions)
6 Andisa Ntsila (Cheetahs)
5 Marvin Orie (Lions)
4 Willem Alberts (Lions)
3 Jannie du Plessis (Lions)
2 Jaco Visagie (Lions)
1 Dylan Smith (Lions)
*Note: Western Province had a bye in the fourth round of the Currie Cup and the fixture between the Bulls and Griquas was called off.

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images