The Cheetahs, Boland, Lions and Griquas all earned bonus-point wins to finish in the top four spots after round two.
Jayden Bantom scored a hat-trick and slotted five kicks to amass 26 individual points for Boland Cavaliers against the Stormers. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Four sides earned bonus-point wins in a scintillating, try-abundant second round of the Currie Cup this weekend.
Back-to-back bonus-point victories for the Cheetahs have established them as the team to beat, though both wins came at home.
They reign at the top of the table, with wins for Boland, Lions and Griquas placing them second, third and fourth, respectively.
Boland Cavaliers are the only other undefeated team so far, and keeping Cape rivals the Stormers try-less in their game sets them up as contenders early on.
The Sharks, Stormers, Pumas and Bulls follow in descending order on the table after all lost their second-round games.
Try fest
After a close win against the Lions last week, the Cheetahs side produced a brilliant second-half performance to thump the Sharks 43-21 after the scores were locked 14-all at half-time.
Winger Prince Nkabinde scored a hat-trick, and scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and flank Juan Venter each scored a brace for the Cheetahs.
The Sharks could only muster three scores, and so didn’t add any points to the Currie Cup table.
The Lions also secured a big win at home, the score being 52-19 against the Pumas.
Jarod Cairns and Latica Nela each scored a brace, while Likhona Finca and Rhynardt Jonke added their names to the scoreboard along with a penalty try.
Sam Francis slotted all six conversion attempts plus a penalty.
The Pumas also only scored three tries and walked away with no points.
Griquas, Boland state their Currie Cup intentions
The Bulls at least scored four tries in a losing cause against the Griquas in Kimberley. But it was their second defeat in a row after falling poorly to Boland in Wellington last week, and they languish at the bottom of the Currie Cup table.
The Pretoria side were in touch of the hosts at 28-19 down at half time, but the Griquas showed why they are defending champions by scoring four tries in the second half to add to their four in the first, while allowing the Bulls to only add just one more in the second period (final score 56-26).
Winger Gurswin Wehr and scrumhalf Bobby Alexander both scored hat-tricks for the Griquas, the latter doing so in his 50th Peacock Blues appearance.
George Whitehead nailed all eight conversions for a perfect day with the boot.
Following the theme of big wins, Boland completely outplayed their Western Cape rivals, the Stormers, in the weekend’s final game.
Boland scored two tries within the first five minutes, and four more in the second half, to thrash an error-riddled Stormers side 41-3 in Wellington.
Wing Jayden Bantom was the hero of the day, scoring three tries and slotting five kicks to amass 26 individual points.
Next week, Griquas host the Cheetahs, the Stormers welcome the Sharks in a coastal derby, the Lions entertain the Bulls in a Jukskei Derby, and Boland host the Pumas.
