The race for those coveted four semifinal spots of the SA Cup – and with that qualification to the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division – is going down to the wire for the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, NovaVit Griffons and Valke after the penultimate round was completed over the weekend.
Meanwhile, log leaders Airlink Pumas maintained their status as the only unbeaten side in the competition when they edged the Kavaliers 34-32 in an exciting match Saturday in Wellington.
The two bonus points Boland managed to collect despite their narrow home loss keep them in fourth place on the log, just one point ahead of the Griffons, after Eastern Province did the Kavaliers a huge favour by beating the Northern Free Staters by 20-14 in Gqeberha on Saturday.
The Valke also ensured they stayed in the hunt for qualification following their crucial 45-31 win over the Leopards in Potchefstroom.
After suffering their first loss in the competition last week against the Pumas in Nelspruit, holders Suzuki Griquas bounced back to winning ways courtesy of a 52-5 victory over the Phangela SWD Eagles in George, while the Toyota Cheetahs overwhelmed Border 106-7 in Bloemfontein.
Going into next weekend’s final round of league fixtures, the Pumas are in pole position on 40 points, three more than Griquas, with the Cheetahs third on 32 points.
These three sides have booked their places in the semifinals, where they will be joined by one of Boland (27 points), the Griffons (26) or the Valke (25) points. EP (21 points), SWD (seven points), the Leopards (five) and Border (two) complete the log standings.
In next week’s last league matches, Suzuki Griquas host the Toyota Cheetahs from 14h00 in Kimberley, and that encounter is followed by the important clash in Welkom between the Griffons and Pumas, starting at 15h00.
Also starting at 15h00 are the fixtures between Leopards and SWD in Potchefstroom, EP versus Boland in Gqeberha, and the Valke against Border in Kempton Park.
This weekend, Eastern Province scored their fourth win of the campaign when they defeated Griffons 20-14 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, but unfortunately for the men from the Eastern Cape, other results mean they can’t make it into the top four anymore, despite this upset victory.
EP were not at their best in the opening half as they trailed by 14-3 following two converted tries, by Andrew Kota and Willem van der Hever. However, they came out much better organised in the second stanza to score two converted tries and a penalty goal, while the home team’s defence was also on song as they managed to keep the Griffons scoreless.
Wings Rodney Damons and Davian Swanepoel went over the line for the EP, while Christian Humphries succeeded with the important conversions to steer the Eastern Cape side to victory.
The Valke emerged victorious against the Leopards with a hard-fought 45-31 win in Potchefstroom on Saturday afternoon. They had to work hard for the win though as the hosts were only two points behind at halftime with the score at 19-17.
The East Randers scored seven tries to four in the end for a well-deserved win which keep their outside chance alive to qualify for the playoffs and a place in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.
Midfielder Musa Tshabalala scored a brace of tries while reliable place kicker Sergio Stalmeester succeeded with five of the seven conversions. The Leopards’ Shaun Baxter slotted all four his conversion attempts and he was also on target with a penalty goal.
The Toyota Cheetahs ran in 16 tries while conceding only one in their 106-7 romp over the Border Bulldogs in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The Free Staters were already out of sight by the halfway stage with a 47-0 advantage.
Four players – Marko Janse van Rensburg, Prince Nkabinde, James Verity-Amm and Jandre Nel – left the field with braces behind their names. Tiaan Swanepoel and Verity-Amm succeeded with six conversions each as the Cheetahs solidified third spot on the league table.
The Airlink Pumas clinched a thrilling 34-32 win away win over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in Wellington on Saturday afternoon to stay in first place on the SA Cup log. The two teams were involved in a massive arm wrestle for the entire match and were locked at 15-15 at the sound of the halftime whistle.
Crucially for the team from Mpumalanga, they scored five tries compared to four of the Kavaliers, which proved to be the decider in the end. Hawies Fourie’s team did manage to collect two vital bonus-points in the process, which keep them fourth on the log.
HP Schoor scored twice for the Kavaliers while pivot James Tedder kept them in the hunt with a try, three conversions and two penalty goals for a personal tally of 15 points. Jay Cee Nel, with his two tries, and playmaker Clinton Swart, with three conversions and a penalty goal, were the architects of the Pumas’ close-fought win, which kept them first on the log.
On Friday evening, defending champions Suzuki Griquas overpowered the Phangela SWD Eagles 52-5 in in George, scoring eight tries in the process while the Eagles could only reply with a solo first half try.
The men from Kimberley lost to the Pumas in Nelspruit last week for the time since the start of the competition early last year, but Friday in George they were in a rampant mood as they returned to winning ways.
Griquas ran in eight tries in total, interestingly each one scored by a different player, with the forwards equalling the backs’ tally of four tries. Flyhalf Tylor Sefoor succeeded with six conversion kicks as the Kimberley outfit further solidified their place among the top two-placed teams.
Scorers:
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 32 (15), Airlink Pumas 34 (15)
Boland – Tries: HP van Schoor (2), James Tedder, Domenic Smit. Conversions: Tedder (3). Penalty goals: Tedder (2).
Pumas – Tries: Jay Cee Nel (2), Ross Braude, Darren Adonis, Ruwald van der Merwe. Conversions: Clinton Swart (3). Penalty goal: Swart.
Toyota Cheetahs 106 (47), Border 7 (0)
Cheetahs – Tries: Marko Janse van Rensburg (2), Prince Nkabinde (2), James Verity-Amm (2), Jandre Nel (2), Andisa Ntsila, Jeandre Rudolph, Marco Janse Van Vuren, Tiaan Swanepoel, Carel-Jan Coetzee, Schalk Ferreira, Michael Annies, Jandre Nel (2), Penalty Try. Conversions: James Verity-Amm (6), Tiaan Swanepoel (6).
Border – Try: Hlomla Payi. Conversion: Jaden Shaw.
Leopards 31 (17), Valke 45 (19)
Leopards – Tries: Jason Alexander, Brandon Keevy, Naiden Jaarts, Ghudian van Reenen. Conversions: Shaun-Christian Baxter (4). Penalty goal: Baxter.
Valke – Tries: Abulele Ndabambi, Zeilinga Strydom, Andrew Volschenk, Zingisa April, Musa Tshabalala (2), Adrian Joubert. Conversions: Sergio Stalmeester (5).
Eastern Province 20 (3), NovaVit Griffons 14 (14)
EP – Tries: Rodney Damons, Davian Swanepoel. Conversions: Christian Humphries (2). Penalty goals: Humphries (2).
NovaVit Griffons - Tries: Andrew Kota, Willem van den Hever. Conversions: Kota (2).
Phangela SWD Eagles 5 (5), Suzuki Griquas 52 (31)
SWD – Try: Mpho Ntsane.
Griquas – Tries: Albert Liebenberg, Thomas Bursey, Athenkosi Khethani, Lourens Oosthuizen, Janco Uys, Bobby Alexander, Connor Mahoney, Gurshwin Wehr. Conversions: Tylor Sefoor.