JOHANNESBURG -  That honour belongs to the Sharks, who claimed their second victory on the trot with a 30-14 triumph over the Lions in Durban.
 
To be honest, the scoreline was flattering to both sides in a bizarre contest that was devoid of structure and discipline.
 
It was only some concerted endeavour from set-pieces in the strike zone that allowed both combinations to score their tries – the hosts missing out on a bonus point  – while the accurate boot of Meyer Bosman assured the Sharks  a decent buffer when a slapdash but committed Lions outfit began faltering.
 
“I’ll take the battered and bruised body quite happily for the win tonight,” said Sharks captain Jean Deysel.
 
“Hats off to the boys, it was a major step up, they played for each other. The youngsters bring the passion to the game. They’re doing well, not just filling positions.”
 
For the second consecutive week, Johannesburg’s Pride generally found themselves on the back foot in possession and territory but couldn’t find the ruthlessness to make their opportunities count, unlike their first outing.
 
But they can take heart from shading the Super Rugby finalists in the scrums with skipper JC Janse van Rensburg particularly prominent.
 
“Obviously the front row is important,” said acting coach Johan Ackermann. “Balie Swart has helped us work out the technical aspects and the front three worked on technicalities. The rest bring the strength and energy.”
 
In contrast, the Cheetahs were superb in their application of the basics in defeating the Bulls 32-18 in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.
 
Naka Drotkse’s men defended with vigour and took the chances that came their way.
 
“I thought our one-on-one defence was pretty good. That wasn't the case last week against the Lions, but we seem to have rectified that,” he said.
 
“Our attacking play was also very good. We sat pretty at halftime and the challenge was to keep playing for the full 80 minutes. We did just that."
 
Captain Robert Ebersohn also praised the boot of wing Riaan Smit, who kept the scoreboard ticking.
 
It can’t be said that the Bulls weren’t in the contest. They made much of the play in the second half and looked dangerous on attack.
 
Yet their penalty count simply kept them from making meaningful headway.
 
“It was never going to be easy in Bloemfontein, but we made it difficult for ourselves through our ill discipline,” said stand-in captain Wilhelm Steenkamp.
 
“We have to bounce back at Loftus next week. There is no doubt about that.”
 
Western Province registered their first win of the campaign with a hard-fought comeback 25-20 victory  over a game Griquas in Kimberley.
 
A prominent theme was the return of Duane Vermeulen, who came through 40 minutes of play without any hitches.

“Duane did very well. He came through the 40 minutes without any problem and looks set to play a big role for us in the next week or two,” enthused coach Allister Coetzee.