College Rovers and Naka Bulle powered their way to impressive victories over the weekend to secure a home-ground advantage in the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup semi-finals.
Meanwhile, the second Blue Bulls club in the semi-finals, Northam Rhinos continued their high-scoring run, and Crusaders claimed a win away from home to advance to the penultimate round.
The Rhinos have been the most prolific team on show in this year’s club tournament, scoring 50 or more points in each of their three matches.
The side from Limpopo scored nine tries in the 53-14 win against Progress from Eastern Province last Saturday. They will travel to Kings Park this Saturday to pit their skills another attack-minded outfit in College Rovers, who beat Raiders from the Lions by 60-17 in Johannesburg this past weekend.
Like the KwaZulu-Natalians, Naka Bulle and Crusaders have qualified for the penultimate round after winning their respective quarter-finals away from home.
Naka Bulle claimed a 24-10 win against former champions False Bay in Cape Town, while Crusaders from SWD edged Harlequins 54-51 in Pretoria, in a game that produced 12 tries.
Crusaders will head back to the Jacaranda City this weekend to tackle the Naka Bulle on their home patch. The final of the competition will be staged on 7 October.
Quarter-final results:
Harlequins (Blue Bulls) 51 Crusaders (SWD) 54
Northam Rhinos (Limpopo) 53 Progress (EP) 14
False Bay (WP) 10 Naka Bulle (Blue Bulls) 24
Raiders (Lions) 17 College Rovers (Sharks) 60
Semi-final fixtures:
College Rovers v Northam Rhinos
Venue: Kings Park 3, Durban
Date: Saturday, 30 September
Time: 15h30
Naka Bulle vs Crusaders
Venue: Naka Bulle Rugby Club, Pretoria
Date: Saturday, 30 September
Time: 16h00