Struggling Lions go down to the Sharks
Western Province and the Sharks continued to stake a strong claim for Currie Cup home semi-finals.
DHL Western Province and the Cell C Sharks continued to stake a strong claim for Currie Cup home semi-finals as they delivered another round of fine performances this weekend to seal their fourth round of bonus-point victories.
The iCOLLEGE Pumas also kept alive their faint semi-final hopes, as they succeeded in earning a bonus-point victory in the competition.
DHL Western Province was dominant in their display against Tafel Lager Griquas in Cape Town on September 22, with the side cruising to a 33-7 half-time lead en route to their 38-12 victory. The win pushed them to the top of the log above the Cell C Sharks on points difference.
The Capetonians fired from the outset and sealed their bonus-point try by the 24th minute, while Sergeal Petersen contributed a brace to the team’s total of six tries. They supported this with a solid defensive effort to limit the visitors to two tries.
The men from Kimberley tried hard to force their way back into the match in the second half as they tightened up their defence and tried to apply more pressure on attack but their efforts were not enough against the dominant home team.
In Durban, Dan du Preez and his brother Robert du Preez, were key figures in steering the Cell C Sharks to their fourth successive victory, as they contributed 27 points in the team’s 37-21 victory over the Xerox Golden Lions.
The hosts’ forwards were superb and did well to dominate the contact points, while Dan du Preez was a dominating figure and scored two tries. Robert du Preez, meanwhile, had an impressive day with the boot, as he slotted over four conversions and three penalty goals.
In Friday’s match, the iCOLLEGE Pumas ran hard on attack against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs and backed this up with good handling skills, which saw them outscore the hosts six tries to two for a convincing 42-14 victory.
Such was the high quality of the Pumas attack, they earned their bonus-point try in the first half, with Ryan Nell scoring a brace 28 minutes into the match.
Currie Cup First Division
The Leopards continued to stamp their authority in the Currie Cup First Division as they bounced back from a bye with a bang to reclaim the top spot on the log and maintain their unbeaten status.
The Leopards scored three first-half tries, while limiting the Border Bulldogs to a penalty goal for a 21-3 half-time lead in Potchefstroom on Friday, and they built on this to finish the match with seven tries for a 47-22 victory. Gerhard Nortier crashed over twice for the side, while Schalk Hugo kept the scoreboard ticking with six conversions.
The clash between the Boland Cavaliers and Hino Valke in Lamberts Bay on Saturday was hard-fought, but Boland made better use of their point-scoring chances to secure a 20-7 victory. The hosts outscored their Kempton Park rivals two tries to one, but two penalty goals by Ralton October allowed them to win comfortably.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk.
In Port Elizabeth, a hat-trick by the Down Touch Griffons’ Rodney Damons and an accurate kicking display by Duan Pretorius guided the defending champions to a 35-22 victory against Eastern Province in the bottom of the table of the clash. While the win for the Down Touch Griffons’ ended their losing run, the defeat for Eastern Province knocked them out of the semi-final race completely.
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