Bulls and Cheetahs look to defend unbeaten streaks

The Fidelity ADT Lions, Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs will put their unbeaten status on the line in the third round of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, while the two First Division semifinals will be staged on Saturday afternoon in Wellington and Uitenhage.

The Fidelity ADT Lions host Suzuki Griquas in Friday's opening clash in what promises to be an exciting affair at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, where the action starts at 15h00.

Two hours later in Pretoria, the Vodacom Bulls lock horns with defending champions, Toyota Cheetahs, in an equally spicy affair at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, and the third encounter on Friday will take place in Durban, where the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV face the Airlink Pumas from 19h00.

The final match of the round is on Sunday in Welkom between the NovaVit Griffons and DHL Western Province, where the starting time is 15h00. All games will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Last week, the Fidelity ADT Lions romped to a 75-21 triumph over the Airlink Pumas in Nelspruit, and the Gauteng side will be aiming to build on their prolific early-season form when they host the Suzuki Griquas Friday in Johannesburg.

The men from Kimberley staged a great comeback last weekend to edge a powerful Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in the Diamond City, but the big question of whether they'd be able to conquer the Highvelders will be answered on Friday.

A titanic clash is in the offering in Friday's second clash in Pretoria, where the Vodacom Bulls, champions in 2020 and 2021, face current holders, the Toyota Cheetahs. The men from Pretoria easily swept aside the NovaVit Griffons last week, but the Bloemfontein outfit will offer a far sterner test at Loftus.

And in Durban, both the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and Airlink Pumas will be eager to return to winning ways after they ended on the losing side last time out.

The KwaZulu-Natalians will especially feel unhappy by their second half performance against Suzuki Griquas, which led to a three-point loss, while the Lowvelders would want to make amends for their drubbing at home against the Lions.

Meanwhile, NovaVit Griffons will fancy their chances against DHL WP, who are yet to hit good form this year, even though the men from the Northern Free State will realise a big step up will be required if they are going to cause an upset on their fast track in Welkom.

Match information:

Fidelity ADT Lions v Suzuki Griquas

Date: Friday, 19 July

Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Time: 15h00

Referee: Griffin Colby

TV: SS Variety 3

Vodacom Bulls v Toyota Cheetahs

Date: Friday, 19 July

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Time: 17h00

Referee: Sean Muller

TV: SS Variety 3

Hollywoodbets Sharks XV v Airlink Pumas

Date: Saturday, 19 July

Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

Time: 19h00

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys

TV: SS Variety 3

NovaVit Griffons v DHL Western Province

Date: Sunday, 21 July

Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom

Time: 15h00

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen

TV: SS Rugby

Fight for Carling Currie Cup First Division final spots

Defending Carling Currie Cup First Division champions, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, will fancy their chances of reaching a second successive final when they host the Phangela SWD Eagles in one of the two semifinals on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Eastern Province will look to repeat their upset from last weekend when they again clash with Valke, this time in Uitenhage, to determine the other First Division finalist.

The Kavaliers completed the league phase unbeaten and bagged a perfect 25 points from their five bonus-points victories, scoring an average of eight tries per match while conceding just over two.

The Eagles snuck into the playoffs by virtue of a better points differential than the Leopards, who also won two games and ended on 12 points. Just looking at the log, the Bolanders must be considered firm favourites to progress to their second First Division final on a trot in front of their passionate supporters.

EP will be looking to repeat their 45-33 surprise win over the Valke from last weekend when they host the East Randers in Uitenhage.

The men from the Eastern Cape finish both the recent SA Cup and the First Division league phase strongly, as they grabbed the second spot on the log away from the side from Kempton Park.

The winners of the semifinals will face each other next Saturday to contest the Carling Currie Cup First Division final.

Match information:

Eastern Province v Valke

Date: Saturday, 20 July

Venue: Central Field, Uitenhage

Time: 14h00

Referee: Ruhan Meiring

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers v Phangela SWD Eagles

Date: Saturday, 20 July

Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington

Time: 15h00

Referee: Jonathan Lottering