Sharks vs Boland Cavaliers Prediction: Cavaliers to trample over toothless Sharks

It’s been a tough Currie Cup campaign for the Natal Sharks and things won’t get any easier when they host the Boland Cavaliers on Saturday (16:10 kick-off) at Woodburn Stadium.

Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Sharks vs Boland prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the encounter in Pietermaritzburg.

Team news

Starting with the Sharks, they go with Phatu Ganyane, Jacques Marais and Mawande Mdanda in the front row, with locks Coetzee Le Roux and Deon Slabbert in the engine room.

Tino Mavesere, Jannes Potgieter and skipper Nicholas Hatton complete the pack, with Ceano Everton and Siya Masuku starting in the half-backs.

Albie Bester and Diego Apollis combine in the centres, with the Sharks back three made up of Paschal Ekeji, Phikolomzi and Hakeem Kunene.

As for the Cavaliers, Wayrin Losper, Sidney Tobias and Dayan van der Westhuizen start in the front row, with Michael Benadie and Jurie van Vuuren in the second row.

Sauliegh Arendse, Sibusiso Sangweni and skipper Thurlow Marsh make up the back row, with half-backs Louis Schreuder and Juan Mostert handed starting roles.

Lunathi Nxele and Erik Lambrecht start in the centres, while Boland go with a back three of Xavier Mitchell, Donovan Don and James Tedder.

Match odds

Boland Cavaliers are available at 1/2 to claim the win on the road, while the Sharks are 17/10 to secure just their second win of the 2025 Currie Cup campaign.

A draw in Pietermaritzburg is currently available at 16/1.

Boland Cavaliers -5 three-way handicap @ 20/21

It’s been an impressive campaign so far from Boland Cavaliers.

Head coach Hawies Fourie has seen his side win four of their opening five games, with their only defeat coming on the road against Griquas in Round 2.

Victory on Saturday would guarantee Boland their place in the semi-finals, before their Round 7 trip to Cape Town Stadium to take on Western Force on September 6th.

Looking to wrap up their place in the postseason action, Boland are backed to not only win on Saturday, but also cover the handicap in the process.

The Sharks have looked pretty toothless for much of the season, scoring just eight tries in their opening five games compared to the 23 tries scored by the Cavaliers.

Managing just 56 points scored in five games, at an average of 11.2 per match, has made it very difficult for the Sharks to win games this season.

A shadow of the side that managed to win the Currie Cup last season, the tournament will end for Natal/Durban before the semi-final stage and it’s hard to see them beating a Boland side this weekend, with the Cavaliers simply having too much firepower for the Sharks.

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