The Vodacom Bulls overcame a tricky hurdle in Pretoria to stay unbeaten at the top of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, all but booking their spot in the playoffs. At the same time, the Fidelity ADT Lions mauled the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, and the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV showed their sharp teeth in Cape Town. The Airlink Pumas demonstrated why they cannot be discounted from the semi-final race.
With the business end fast approaching and just two rounds of cross-section fixtures remaining before the semi-finals, the battle for top-four places on the log has turned red hot.
The Vodacom Bulls opened the round with a 47-24 romp of Suzuki Griquas for their seventh win in eight games on Friday. The next day in Cape Town, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV displayed their growing pedigree by outplaying DHL Western Province 31-23 and in the later fixture, the Fidelity ADT Lions won the “big cat derby” by 38-21 over the Toyota Cheetahs.
More importantly for the chasing Airlink Pumas, the Highvelders denied the Free Staters any bonus points. That opened the door for the Mpumalanga outfit to close the gap on fourth place with their 45-26 away victory over the NovaVit Griffons on Sunday.
The Durbanites leapt into third spot on 26 points, behind the two Gauteng teams teams (Vodacom Bulls on 36 and Fidelity ADT Lions on 33), while the Toyota Cheetahs and Airlink Pumas are level on 24 points, with just points difference separating the two. DHL WP and the Suzuki Griquas are on 14 points, and the NovaVit Griffons on three, with these three unlikely to qualify for the playoffs.
In the round’s opening fixture Friday evening in Pretoria, the Vodacom Bulls packed too much firepower for Suzuki Griquas as they navigated a difficult fixture with ease.
After the visitors shook the Loftus crowd to race into a 14-0 lead, the hosts fought back to go into the break 26-19 up and eventually scored seven tries to four to solidify top spot on the log.
Vodacom Bulls No 8 Mpilo Gumede was outstanding on the evening, and he was rewarded with two tries, while former Junior Bok hooker Juann Else made a good impact off the bench as he too was rewarded with a brace of tries. Speedster Dylan Maart continued his good form out wide for the Kimberley outfit by dotting down twice.
Saturday afternoon saw the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV increase their semi-final hopes further, while they all but ended DHL WP’s slender hope of a top-four spot when they defeated the Capetonians 31-23 for a solid away win in Cape Town.
The KZN side registered four converted tries and a drop goal, while DHL WP responded with two converted tries and three penalty goals. JP Pietersen's men were already 21-10 in front at the interval, but the home side staged a strong comeback in the second half to cut the deficit to 28-23 at one stage. However, Hollywoodbets Sharks XV pivot Lionel Cronje used all his experience to calmly land a drop goal to put the score beyond the reach of Province.
A short while later in Bloemfontein, the Fidelity ADT Lions made a fast start and were 26-7 ahead at the halfway stage against the Toyota Cheetahs, who managed their only score of the half after the siren. The Highvelders went on to score six tries and four conversions, while the Toyota Cheetahs replied with three converted tries.
Their fast start meant that the defending champions and hosts were always chasing the game. Flyhalf Kade Wolhuter pulled the strings for the visitors, displaying his clever tactical kicking skills. Apart from scoring one try and kicking four conversions, he also had a hand in several other scores.
The last fixture of the round was staged on Sunday in Welkom, where the Airlink Pumas downed NovaVit Griffons by 45-26 to earn a crucial bonus-point victory.
The first half was a real arm wrestle, but Jimmy Stonehouse’s men used their greater experience in the second stanza to pull away. The Lowvelders registered seven tries – each scored by a different player – of which five were converted by Clinton Swart, while the hosts answered with four tries and three conversions.
Livewire Airlink Pumas loose forward Ntsika Fisanti had an outstanding game, and he was a real menace at the breakdown, and with his linking play to initiate several attacks. The result means the men from Welkom are still winless after eight starts.
In the penultimate round of action this weekend, with Suzuki Griquas and the Toyota Cheetahs kicking off round nine in Kimberley on Friday afternoon at 15h00. That encounter is followed by the big Jukskei Derby, starting at 17h15 in Pretoria, between Vodacom Bulls and Fidelity ADT Lions.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and NovaVit Griffons clash in Saturday's only game, from 13h30 in Durban, with DHL WP hosting the Airlink Pumas on Sunday at 15h00 in the remaining fixture of the round.