The Carling Currie Cup Premier Division log was blown wide open this weekend with no more unbeaten teams left in the competition after Suzuki Griquas, the Airlink Pumas, Toyota Cheetahs, and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers were all victorious during the third round of the competition, while Vodacom Bulls and Fidelity ADT Lions were handed their first defeats of the campaign.
Unfortunately, there was more heartache for the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in Durban when they lost by two points at home to the Toyota Cheetahs, while DHL Western Province remain winless after another defeat in Kimberely.
Suzuki Griquas secured a dominant 47-17 victory over DHL WP in Kimberley to kick off the weekend action on Friday. On Saturday, the Airlink Pumas delivered a resounding 41-7 win over the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria, before a tightly contested match in which the Toyota Cheetahs edged the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV by 7-5 in Clermont, Durban.
In the round’s final game in Wellington on Sunday, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers gained their second home of the campaign by beating the Fidelity ADT Lions 29-10, ending the Highvelders’ winning streak of two runaway victories.
Following the weekend’s third-round action, the Airlink Pumas, Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers each secured their second victory of the season as they moved to 11 league points.
The men from Mpumalanga head the table on points difference, followed by the Free Staters and Bolanders. The Bulls fell from first to fourth and they are one of three teams on 10 points, alongside the Lions and Griquas.
Meanwhile, the Sharks XV collected their first point of the season while winless WP are rooted to the foot of the table with no points.
The past weekend’s action kicked off when Suzuki Griquas delivered another successful home performance on Friday by outclassing DHL WP with a commanding 47-17 victory at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley after leading 21-7 at the halftime.
They asserted their dominance early and maintained control throughout as they outscored their Cape Town visitors by seven tries to three. The hosts started strong, crossing the whitewash through Albert Liebenberg quickly followed by a try from Zane Bester inside the 20-minute mark. Flyhalf George Whitehead was on target with both conversions.
The Capetonians respond via a try by Aden De Costa, which was converted by Jurie Matthee to keeping them within touching distance. However, the Kimberley side continued their relentless attack, with Caleb Abrahams adding another five-pointer before halftime, sending the hosts into the break with a comfortable 21-7 advantage.
The second half saw no let-up from the home side as speedy Gurshwin Wehr extended their lead with a converted try early-on in the second half. The Capetonians did show flashes of promise with unconverted tries from long-serving stalwart Scarra Ntubeni and former Junior Bok scrumhalf Ezekiel Ngobeni; however, they lacked the overall cohesion of the hosts’ attack.
Instead, it was Griquas who continued to pile on the pressure in the final quarter, with Derik Pretorius dotting down in the 67th minute, followed by tries from Carl Els and Thomas Bursey just before the final hooter to seal a convincing home.
At Loftus, the Airlink Pumas delivered a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon by securing a resounding 41-7 victory over the Vodacom Bulls.
The visitors enjoyed the brilliant Highveld winter sunshine and led 10-7 at the break. They turned on the heat in the second half to score 31 unanswered points, although the home side had a try disallowed for an infringement in the build-up.
A was a tight affair in the first half, when the teams were separated by just three points, suggested the score might go down to the wire in the second stanza as both teams battled for supremacy. However, it was the Pumas who pulled away in the second half.
The visitors opened their account with a penalty goal from Danrich Visagie and the hosts responded swiftly, with Riyaad Bam crashing over for their only try which was converted by Boeta Chamberlain. However, the Pumas regained the lead just before the break when Eddie Swart touched down, taking a slender three-point lead into halftime.
The second period was a different story entirely, as the Airlink Pumas unleashed a relentless onslaught. Skipper Willie Engelbrecht extended their lead and just six minutes later Tiaan de Klerk added another five-pointer. When Ross Braude scored his converted try in the 63rd minute it left the Pretoria side with a mountain to climb. There were to be no comeback as Hanno Theunissen and Andre Fouche added late tries for men from Mpumalanga to finish in style for their 41-7 triumph.
In a tightly contested clash staged at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Toyota Cheetahs gained a hard-fought 7-5 win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV. The match was a huge arm wrestle, with both teams managing a only single try in a low-scoring affair.
The first half saw the Free Staters gain an early advantage. With former Junior Bok lock Corne Rahl off the field with a yellow card, Neels Volschenk capitalized on the numerical advantage, scoring the visitors’ only try. Ntokozo Makhaza added the conversion, giving them a 7-0 lead until halftime.
The second stanza was equally hard-fought and the KZN team finally broke through the staunch defence in the 65th minute, with Phatu Ganyane dotting down. However, Jean Smith’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving them two points adrift. Despite late efforts from both sides, neither could add to their tally, meaning the Toyota Cheetahs could held on for a hard-fought victory.
On Sunday, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers recorded their second home win of the campaign when they handed the Fidelity ADT Lions their first loss of the season with a convincing 29-10 victory in front of a jubilant Wellington crowd.
The Kavaliers had to fight hard for their win though, especially in the first half when they had to defend against a determined Highveld outfit. Two tries, a conversion and a penalty goal gave the hosts a handy 15-5 halftime advantage, although they struggled somewhat with their discipline, which allowed the visitors from Joburg to stay in the game.
Their scoring was spearheaded by Blitzbok speedster Donavan Don, who touched down twice in the opening half either side of Kade Wolhuter’s five-pointer for the visiting side. After the break they continued with their resolute defence whilst making full use of their scoring chances.
The Kavaliers’ other tries were scored by Xavier Mitchell and Juan Mostert, who added the bonus-point try in the 84th minute after the final hooter had sounded. Flyhalf James Tedder was instrumental with the boot, successfully slotting three conversions and an important penalty goal.
A total of three yellow cards were shown during this entertaining fixture – Boland’s Lunathi Nxele received a yellow card just four minutes into the game and he was followed later by Tedder in the second half. For the Gauteng side, former Junior Bok scrumhalf Nico Steyn was shown yellow just before the break.
In the coming weekend’s fourth round action, Suzuki Griquas are back at home on Friday afternoon, this time welcoming the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV to Kimberley for their 15h00 fixture.
Saturday’s two early afternoon clashes, both starting at 14h00, see the log-leading Airlink Pumas take on Fidelity ADT Lions in Nelspruit, while Toyota Cheetahs face DHL WP in Bloemfontein. Sanlam Boland Kavaliers play their third home match on Sunday against the Vodacom Bulls to wrap up round four action.
Scorers:
Suzuki Griquas 47 (21), DHL Western Province 17 (7)
Griquas – Tries: Albert Liebenberg, Zane Bester, Caleb Abrahams, Gurshwin Wehr, Derik Pretorius, Carl Els, Thomas Bursey. Conversions: George Whitehead (6).
Western Province – Tries: Aden De Costa, Scarra Ntubeni, Ezekiel Ngobeni. Conversion: Jurie Matthee.
Vodacom Bulls 7 (7), Airlink Pumas 41 (10)
Bulls – Try: Riyaad Bam. Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain.
Pumas – Tries: Eddie Swart, Willie Engelbrecht, Tiaan de Klerk, Ross Braude, Hanno Theunissen, Andre Fouche. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (4). Penalty goal: Visagie.
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 5 (0), Toyota Cheetahs 7 (7)
Sharks XV – Try: Phatu Ganyane.
Cheetahs – Try: Neels Volschenk. Conversion: Ntokozo Makhaza.
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 29 (15), ADT Fidelity Lions 10 (5)
Kavaliers – Tries: Donavan Don (2), Xavier Mitchell, Juan Mostert. Conversions: James Tedder (3). Penalty goal: Tedder.
Lions – Tries: Kade Wolhuter, Gianni Lombard.
Flash
Sport Trivia: Who won the Comrades marathon in 1981? Answer: Bruce Fordyce – The Comrades marathon is widely recognised as the world\’s greatest ultra-marathon. Bruce Fordyce dominated this event in the eighties, winning in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Sam Tshabalala won in 1989, becoming the first black winner of the Comrades. Fordyce didn\’t race that year.
Rink Ruler
Alec Stewart was born on 8/4/63, and the number of test runs that he scored in his career was 8,463.