Chasing pack aim to strike in SA Cup

While the pacesetting duo of Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas aim to continue their dominance in the SA Cup, the chasing pack consisting of the NovaVit Griffons, Toyota Cheetahs, Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, and Valke, will all strive to step up their efforts in ensuring a place among top four spots on the league table to secure qualification for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.

Only one match is scheduled for Friday, when the defending champions host Eastern Province in Kimberley from 3pm in a fixture that will also be televised on SuperSport. Suzuki Griquas are in rampant form and heavy favourites to extend their remarkable winning streak, which has seen them win all matches so far since the start of the competition last year.

Saturday’s full programme of four games – all of which start at 3pm – will see the Border Bulldogs hosting Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in East London; the Leopards facing the Airlink Pumas in Potchefstroom; the Toyota Cheetahs welcoming the Phangela SWD Eagles to Bloemfontein; and the Valke entertaining NovaVit Griffons in what promises to be an enthralling encounter in Kempton Park.

With only a third of the league phase remaining, a fierce race is developing below the unbeaten Suzuki Griquas and Airlink Pumas for the remaining two qualifying spots for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division. Last year's inaugural champions, Griquas, and beaten finalists, Pumas, lead the chase with 25 league points each from their five bonus-point wins.

The next bunch of teams will find it challenging to dislodge them from the top two spots. As things stand, the chasing pack consist of the NovaVit Griffons in third place with 18 points, just one point ahead of the Toyota Cheetahs.

In turn, the Free Staters are two points clear of the Kavaliers and Valke, both on 15 points, while EP have 12 points.

EP will travel to Kimberley realising the importance of their clash against Suzuki Griquas on Friday, as defeat will be a big blow to their top-four aspirations.

Pieter Bergh's defending champions dispatched the Kavaliers in their previous home outing last week, and even with squad rotation, they should have too much firepower for the Elephants. The defending champions are in rampant form and heavy favourites to extend their remarkable winning streak dating back to the start of the competition last year.

The Northern Cape outfit have amassed a staggering 346 points in their previous five matches, averaging 69.2 points per game, while their tight defence has conceded only 94 points, or an average of 19.2 points per game.

Their powerful pack and efficient backline have combined to deliver high try-scoring results. It's no wonder Griquas have the three leading try scorers to date in Dylan Maart and Gurshwin Wehr, each with nine tries, as well as prolific hooker Gustav du Rand with eight. They also lead the tournament with 52 tries, 26 of which were converted by ace kicker George Whitehead.

Elsewhere, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers will seek an immediate reaction on Saturday against Border at Police Park in East London following their close-fought away loss to Griquas in the previous round. The Bulldogs are anchored at the bottom of the league table with no wins in five attempts and suffered a heavy defeat to the high-flying Pumas last weekend in Nelspruit.

The Leopards, with former Springbok and England assistant coach Matt Proudfoot back at the helm, face a rampant Airlink Pumas outfit in Potchefstroom. Jimmy Stonehouse’s men are almost matching Suzuki Griquas in the try-scoring stakes, with 51 tries in five games, with Danrich Visagie (22) and Clinton Swart (19) sharing the successful conversion kicks for the Mpumalanga outfit.

In Bloemfontein, a confident Toyota Cheetahs – nowadays coached by their Director of Rugby and former Springbok Rugby World Cup winner Frans Steyn – welcome the Phangela SWD Eagles to the Toyota Stadium. The Free Staters’ hard-fought derby win over neighbours NovaVit Griffons has propelled them back into semifinal contention, and they know that any slip-up will be damaging to their qualification hopes.

Meanwhile, third-placed NovaVit Griffons travel to the East Rand to take on the Valke at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park. The men from Welkom will no doubt be eager to put their Free State derby loss behind them as they seek to consolidate their third spot on the league table.

JP Immelman’s Valke have also won three games – the same number as their Northern Free State opponents – but are separated by three league points in the standings. Defeat will also be a big blow to the East Randers’ top four aspirations.

With Griffons playmaker Andrew Kota in prolific form – his 57 points to date places him joint first on the scoring chart – the Valke defence will have to work hard to keep him from pulling too many strings or conceding penalties within kicking range.

Selected SA Cup statistics after five rounds:

Most points:

57: Danrich Visagie (Airlink Pumas), George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas), Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)

50: Christian Humphreys (Eastern Province)

49: Keagan Fortune (Valke)

48: Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas)

Most tries:

9: Dylan Maart (Suzuki Griquas)

9: Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas)

8: Gustav du Rand (Suzuki Griquas)

8: Lunathi Nxele (Sanlam Boland Kavaliers)

Most penalty goals: