The NovaVit Griffons and Suzuki Griquas’ unbeaten status will be on the line when they clash in a highly anticipated SA Cup match in Welkom on Saturday afternoon, when all five round four encounters kick off at 15h00.
The Northern Free Staters and the defending champions from Kimberley are two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the competition, and this match at the Down Touch Investments Stadium will be streamed live by SuperSport.
In another clash that is sure to capture the imagination, the fourth-placed Valke, who have won two out of their three matches, host the second-placed Airlink Pumas – the other unbeaten team in the SA Cup – in Kempton Park.
In other three fixtures, the Toyota Cheetahs will be eager to get their campaign back on track when they take on Eastern Province in Gqeberha; the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers will play at home for the first time in three weeks against the Phangela SWD Eagles in Wellington (also to be streamed live by SuperSport); and the Border Bulldogs entertain the Leopards in East London.
With a third of the league phase now completed, the race for the top four places – and qualification for this year's Carling Currie Cup Premier Division – is becoming clearer. Currently, the unbeaten trio of Griquas, the Pumas, and Griffons lead the standings with 15 points each.
The Valke are in fourth place with 10 points, followed by the Kavaliers (eight points) and the Cheetahs (seven points) in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The Griffons will be hoping that home ground advantage in Welkom can play a key role when they face the formidable holders from Kimberley, who have not lost a match in the SA Cup since the start of last season, and have dominated their opponents, amassing 252 points at an average of 84 points per game, while conceding only 25 points.
The Welkom-based side will need a strong defensive effort to contend with the competition's most prolific try-scoring team, which includes a former Blitzbok speedster in Gurshwin Wehr.
Expect Wehr – who played his rugby in Welkom last year – and Griffons playmaker Andrew Kota to play important roles in this encounter. Kota is the leading points scorer with 49 points, while Wehr tops the try-scoring chart with seven tries.
Elsewhere, the Airlink Pumas are favoured to maintain their unbeaten run when they tackle the Valke at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, but they can’t afford to underestimate the East Randers, despite the men from Mpumalanga boasting a better defensive effort in their three games to date.
After two losses on the road, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers are hoping to turn the corner when they host the Phangela SWD Eagles at Boland Stadium in Wellington. The Kavaliers easily won the corresponding fixture last year in George and will target this game to bounce back to winning ways after last week's setback in Kempton Park.
Meanwhile, the remaining fixture between the Border Bulldogs (ninth place) and the Leopards (last place) in East London will provide one of these teams with their first win of the campaign.
Selected SA Cup statistics after three rounds:
Most points:
49: Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)
38: Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas)
37: Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas)
Most tries:
7: Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas)
6: Gustav du Rand (Suzuki Griquas)
6: Jandre Nel (Toyota Cheetahs)
Most penalty goals:
5: Christian Humphries (Eastern Province)
4: Maxwell Klaasen (Border)
4: Keagan Fortune (Valke)
Most conversions:
14: Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas)
14: George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas)
14: Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)
Match Information:
Valke vs Airlink Pumas
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Dylen November
Eastern Province vs Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Jonathan Lottering
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers vs Phangela SWD Eagles
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Eon van Zyl
TV: SuperSport channel 950
Border Bulldogs vs Leopards
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Sisa Dukashe Stadium, East London
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Phumzile Mbewu
NovaVit Griffons vs Suzuki Griquas
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
TV: SuperSport channel 248