The Cell C Sharks and Toyota Cheetahs claimed important wins to secure home-ground advantage for the Currie Cup Premier Division semi-finals, while the Vodacom Bulls and Windhoek Draught Griquas bolstered their respective playoff bids in the penultimate round of the tournament.
The KwaZulu-Natalians beat the Fidelity ADT Lions on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier Division log. Joey Mongalo’s charges are two points clear of the Toyota Cheetahs in the standings, and one win away from earning the right to host a potential final.
The Toyota Cheetahs proved too strong for the Airlink Pumas in Nelspruit on Saturday. The Free Staters have moved 10 points clear of their rivals in the standings. No matter what happens in the final round, they will not be caught by the chasing pack.
Indeed, the Airlink Pumas will do well to qualify for the playoffs from here. While Jimmy Stonehouse’s defending champions currently sit in third position, but only five points separate them and the team ranked seventh on the log, namely the Fidelity ADT Lions.
The Vodacom Bulls continued their incredible run when they put 10 tries past the NovaVit Griffons on Friday, with David Kriel scoring a hat-trick. The bonus-point win, as well as the improved points difference, sees the men from Pretoria moving up to fourth place.
Windhoek Draught Griquas claimed yet another win against DHL Western Province on Friday, and improved their own chances of advancing to the playoffs. They currently sit in fifth place – just a single log point behind the Vodacom Bulls.
While DHL WP will lament the loss in Kimberley, they did manage to secure a bonus point for scoring four tries. The upshot is that the Capetonians are three log points behind Windhoek Draught Griquas and four points behind the Vodacom Bulls. If they win their final match and other results go their way, they may sneak into the playoffs.
The Fidelity ADT Lions failed to pick up a bonus point in the loss to the Cell C Sharks. If they win big in their final game against the NovaVit Griffons, and if some of the other teams who are yet to qualify lose their respective matches, they could also potentially advance to the knockout rounds.
