Preview: First Division, Round 12
The Eastern Province Kings will look to move one step closer to a possible home final in the First Division when they host the third-placed Griffons in Port Elizabeth on Friday in the first of four crucial Round 12 matches taking place this weekend.
With just three rounds remaining in the eight-team competition, the unbeaten Kings, with 50 log points, hold a commanding eight-point lead over their nearest rivals, the Pumas, who have 42.
Victory over the Griffons on Friday will guarantee the Kings a home semifinal and move coach Alan Solomons' men to within one win of guaranteeing a home final, should they progress that far.
A win for the Griffons, meanwhile, will almost certainly mean a place in the last four for the men from Welkom – a scenario which would mean that the Leopards and SWD Eagles would fight things out for the remaining semifinal slot.
In Friday's other match, the fourth-placed Leopards host the Falcons, in seventh, in Potchefstroom, and the home side will look to keep the fast-finishing Eagles at arm's length by grabbing a full haul of five points.
The Eagles, meanwhile, will travel to Boland Stadium in Wellington on Saturday with similar intentions, although the defending champion Boland Cavaliers will be no pushovers despite a poor season that has produced just two wins in their 11 matches.
And in the weekend's final match, the Pumas will look to keep the pressure on the Kings when they play the winless Border Bulldogs at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit – a match which, if current form dictates, should give coach Jimmy Stonehouse's men the five points they need to start thinking of their own home semifinal.
Pumas flyhalf JC Roos remains top of the First Division point-scoring log after Round 11, with 131 points made up of two tries, 32 conversions and 19 penalties. Just 15 points behind Roos in second place on 116 is Leopards flyhalf André Pretorius, with EP Kings No 10 George Whitehead third on 95.
Four players, namely Leopards wing Allister Kettledas, Valke fullback JW Bell, Pumas centre JW Jonker and SWD Eagles scrumhalf Johan Herbst, jointly lead the try-scoring stakes with eight touchdowns, with a further five players on seven.
Round 12 fixtures:
Eastern Province Kings v Griffons
Date: Friday, September 14
Kick-off: 19.00
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Referee: Ben Crouse
Assistants: Gerrie de Bruin, Christie du Preez
Last meeting: 28 July in Welkom (First round): Kings won 34-10
Leopards v Falcons
Date: Friday, September 14
Kick-off: 19.10
Venue: Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistants: Marius van der Westhuizen, Pieter de Villiers
Television match official: Deon van Blommenstein
Last meeting: 28 July in Kempton Park (First round): Leopards won 51-22
Pumas v Border Bulldogs
Date: Saturday, September 15
Kick-off: 15.00
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Referee: Tiaan Jonker
Assistants: Local referees
Last meeting: 27 July in East London (First round): Pumas won 51-18
Boland Cavaliers v SWD Eagles
Date: Saturday, September 15
Kick-off: 16.00
Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington
Referee: Joey Salmans
Assistants: Francois Groenewald, Linston Manuels
Last meeting: 27 July in George (First round): Teams drew 21-21
