With the final league round of the Currie Cup Premier Division concluded over the past weekend, the Lions, Griquas, Cheetahs and Boland Kavaliers sealed their spots in next weekend’s semi-finals, which are set for Johannesburg and Kimberley.
In the first of the two playoffs, the Lions will host Boland at Ellis Park on Saturday (17:00), followed by the second semi-final, which is scheduled to start at 19:15 at Suzuki Stadium, where Griquas host the Cheetahs.
The last round of league matches delivered victories for the Lions, Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and a first triumph for Western Province, while there was heartache for the Pumas, who just missed out on a semi-final berth.
The Sharks XV beat the Pumas by 19-13 in a tense affair in Durban on Friday evening for their third win of the campaign, while WP won their Western Cape derby 40-22 over Boland in Cape Town – their first victory of the season.
Up on the Highveld, the Lions roared to a 37-7 triumph over Griquas in Joburg and in the final encounter on Saturday, the Bulls finished their campaign with a hard-fought 35-31 win over the Cheetahs in Pretoria.
With the single league round now completed, the Lions finished in pole position on the final log with 26 points from five wins, and they are followed by Griquas on 25 points, the Cheetahs and Boland on 23 points apiece, while the Pumas finished fifth with 21 points. The Bulls (15 points), Sharks XV (14 points) and WP (six points) complete the standings.
Nail-biting victory
The last round of league action kicked off on Friday evening in Durban, where the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV clinched a nail-biting 19-13 victory over the Pumas. Unfortunately for the visitors, who had to wait until the final match almost 24 hours later, the single losing bonus point was not enough to make the playoffs.
The first half was a tense affair in Durban, and despite the Sharks XV dominating territory and possession, several unforced errors and spoiled opportunities meant they remained scoreless. In contrast, the Pumas managed to take a 6-0 lead into halftime, capitalising on penalty goals from flyhalf Clinton Swart even after hooker Eduan Swart was yellow carded for an illegal tackle.
However, the match came to life in the second half as both teams traded blows in search of points. The hosts finally broke the try-scoring drought when fullback Yaw Penxe chased down a Siya Masuku grubber to score. Pumas winger Lundi Msenge responded with a brilliant try of his own, expertly chipped to him by scrumhalf Ross Braude.
However, the momentum swung back to the Sharks with tries from Phepsi Buthelezi and Francois Venter securing a lead they would not relinquish.
Broke their winless streak
In Saturday’s first fixture, Western Province finally broke their winless streak by clinching a bonus-point 40-22 triumph over the Boland Kavaliers at the Cape Town Stadium.
A good Boland start was undone by a costly period of ill-discipline, which saw the visitors accumulating three yellow cards and conceding a heap of penalties during this spell.
The visitors initially controlled the game, but their pressure yielded only a solitary try from prop Dayan van der Westhuizen and a penalty goal through flyhalf Juan Mostert, handing them a narrow 8-7 half-time lead. Boland flanker Sauleigh Arendse was sent to the sin bin for repeated infringements just before the break.
Province capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Adre Smith crashing over from a maul and Leolin Zas finishing a smart team move. Two more yellow cards further hampered the Kavaliers and those errors proved costly as WP continued to pile on the pressure through tries from Jonathan Roche, Marcel Theunissen, and Vernon Matongo.
Jurie Matthee, who replaced Jean-Luc du Plessis, had a standout performance, adding five conversions and proving a key figure in the attack.
Boland managed to score two late consolation tries, through Donavan Don and Llewellyn Claassen, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit as they ultimately slipped down the ladder to fourth place. Despite finishing at the bottom of the log, WP will take heart from a much-improved performance, led by centurion Deon Fourie.
Pole position
Also on Saturday, the Lions roared their way to pole position when they gained an emphatic 37-7 victory over Griquas in their evening clash at Ellis Park, where kick off was delayed an hour due to a lightning storm.
Griquas struck first when a swift, multi-phase attack led to a well-worked try by flanker Lourens Oosthuizen just five minutes into the match. Converted by flyhalf George Whitehead, the visitors took a surprise 7-0 lead, putting the Lions on the back foot.
The hosts responded with a try through centre Henco van Wyk and this was quickly followed by another score from Richard Kriel, giving them a 12-7 lead. The Highvelders’ relentless attack continued and this lead to yellow card for Griquas’ Mnombo Zwelenedaba and a successful penalty goal from Lions flyhalf Chris Smith, to hand the Gautengers a 15-7 half-time advantage.
The second half was all Lions as their attack continued to dismantle Griquas’ defence, with tries from Nico Steyn, Angelo Davids, and Quan Horn. By the time the final whistle blew, the Lions had amassed a dominant 37-7 triumph to surge to the top of the log.
Hard-fought win
The Bulls held on for a hard-fought 35-31 victory over the Cheetahs in a drama-filled clash at Loftus Versfeld, a typical game of two halves, with the Bulls dominating the opening stanza before a spirited Cheetahs comeback in the second half.
The hosts began with blistering pace, scoring four tries in the first half alone. Captain Marcell Coetzee powered over in the opening minutes, followed quickly by Junior Bok speedster Cheswill Jooste and Mpilo Gumede. The Bulls’ forward pack was in complete control, establishing dominance at the set piece and breakdown.
David Kriel rounded off the first half try-blitz, crashing over after a powerful scrum to give the Bulls a commanding 28-5 lead at the break. Keagan Johannes was impeccable from the tee, with his reliable boot proving to be the ultimate difference maker with his five successful conversions.
However, the dynamics shifted dramatically early in the second half when Coetzee was shown a red card for an illegal tackle. The visitors capitalised immediately, with Jandre Nel, Prince Nkabinde, Pierre-Raymond Uys and Vernon Paulo all crossing the try line.
The Cheetahs showcased their speed and flair during this period, but a couple of missed conversions unfortunately proved costly in the end. Despite their valiant comeback attempt, the Bulls did just enough in the final stages to secure their third win.
SCORERS
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 19-13 Pumas
Sharks XV – Tries: Yaw Penxe, Phepsi Buthelezi, Francois Venter. Conversions: Siya Masuku (2).
Pumas – Try: Lundi Msenge. Conversion: Clinton Swart. Penalty goals: Swart (2).
Western Province 40-22 Boland Kavaliers
WP – Tries: Adre Smith (2), Vernon Matongo, Leolin Zas, Jonathan Roche, Marcel Theunissen. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (5).
Boland – Tries: Dayan van der Westhuizen, Donavan Don, Llewellyn Classen. Conversions: Jayden Bantom, Don. Penalty goal: Juan Mostert.
Lions 37-7 Griquas
Lions – Tries: Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Nico Steyn, Angelo Davids, Quan Horn. Conversions: Chris Smith (3); Penalty goals: Smith (2).
Griquas – Try: Lourens Oosthuizen. Conversion: George Whitehead.
Bulls 35-31 Cheetahs
Bulls – Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Cheswill Jooste (2), Mpilo Gumede, David Kriel. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (5).
Cheetahs – Tries: Carel-Jan Coetzee, Jandre Nel, Prince Nkabinde, Pierre-Raymond Uys, Vernon Paulo. Conversions: Cohen Jasper (3).
Who will be crowned Currie Cup champions this season?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
