Preview: Pumas, Eagles must win
The Pumas will want to keep the pressure on log leaders the Eastern Province Kings when they travel to Worcester on Friday to play defending champions the Boland Cavaliers in the first of four crucial First Division matches this weekend.
The Pumas, with five wins from their eight matches to date, have 28 log points – seven behind the unbeaten Kings – and the men from Mpumalanga will be hoping to come away from Boland Park with a full haul of five log points to stay within striking distance of the leaders.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, looked to have recovered from a nightmare start to their title defence when they posted morale-boosting victories over the Falcons and Border Bulldogs after losing their first four matches and drawing the fifth.
However, they were brought down to earth last week in Port Elizabeth, going down 19-57 to the Kings, and nothing less than victory in Worcester is likely to keep the Cavaliers in the play-off hunt.
In Friday's other match, the third-placed SWD Eagles host the Kings in George in an all-Southern Kings affair – a match which will surely be watched with much interest by, amongst others, the Pumas.
Saturday's action sees the fourth-placed Leopards at home in Potch to the fifth-placed Griffons, while the Falcons entertain the Border Bulldogs in Kempton Park in a bottom-of-the-table encounter.
Eastern Province Kings flyhalf George Whitehead tops the First Division point-scoring log after Round Eight, with 91 points made up of three tries, 17 conversions and 14 penalties. Breathing down Whitehead's neck in second place is Leopards flyhalf Andre Pretorius on 81, with the Pumas' JC Roos third on 71.
Leopards wing Allister Kettledas still leads the try-scoring stakes with eight touchdowns, while Leopards teammates Danie Dames and Philip de Wet, as well JW Bell of the Falcons each have seven tries to their name.
All the Round Nine fixtures:
Boland Cavaliers v Pumas
Date: Friday, August 24
Kick-off: 15.00
Venue: Boland Park, Worcester
Referee: Jason Jaftha
Assistants: Rasta Rasivhenge, Linston Manuels
TMO: Johan Meuwesen
Last meeting: 7 July in Nelspruit (First round): Pumas won 33-10
SWD Eagles v EP Kings
Date: Friday, August 24
Kick-off: 19.10
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Referee: Quinton Immelman
Assistants: Joey Salmans, Daniel Fortuin
TMO: Deon van Blommenstein
Last meeting: 6 July in Port Elizabeth (First round): Kings won 38-15
Leopards v Griffons
Date: Saturday, August 25
Kick-off: 15.00
Venue: Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Assistants: Gerrie de Bruin, James van Oudtshoorn
Last meeting: 7 July in Welkom (First round): Griffons won 41-20
Falcons v Border Bulldogs
Date: Saturday, August 25
Kick-off: 15.00
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Referee: Tiaan Jonker
Assistants: Lesego Legoete, Pieter de Villiers
Last meeting: 6 July in East London (First round): Falcons won 33-11
