John Smit on where Currie Cup final will be won

Cape Town - Former Springbok and Sharks hooker John Smit predicts another thrilling Currie Cup final at Newlands this weekend.

READ: Roll on honour - Currie Cup winners

Western Province will entertain the Sharks in what will be the fifth Currie Cup final between the two sides in the last nine seasons.

Smit was interviewed on SuperSport’s Afrikaans programme SuperRugby on Monday night where he shared his views on the strength of both teams.

“I think it’s two good teams with nice young talent, but what helped both teams during the Currie Cup was two big forward packs... good ball carriers, good props, strong scrums.

“And we saw how easy it was for WP to get on the front foot behind that pack... every scrum was either a turnover or a penalty...” Smit said.

When probed on where Saturday’s match would be won, Smit stressed: “I know it’s an old cliché but as much as things change, one thing remains: If you have a pack of forwards that dominate, that get you on the gain line and one who is more physical and accurate than the other pack, then you’ll win.”

Smit also pointed to the recent Currie Cup finals history between the two teams and hinted that the away team might have the slight edge.

“The history between WP and the Sharks is a bit ironic... it’s almost the team that plays away from home that has more of a chance to win.”

The last three Currie Cup finals between the teams were won by the away side.

WP beat the Sharks 33-21 at Kings Park in 2017, in 2013 the Sharks won 33-19 at Newlands and in 2012 WP won 25-18 at Kings Park.

The last time the home team emerged victorious was in the 2010 final between the sides, when the Sharks won 30-10 at Kings Park.