Pumas go top as SA Cup top four race heats up

WRAP: The Pumas broke Griquas’ remarkable unbeaten run in the SA Cup with a close-fought 39-35 win in Nelspruit on Friday evening to move to the top of the standings after Round Seven.

There were valuable victories for the Cheetahs, Boland Cavaliers, and Griffons, who all strengthened their positions in the race for Currie Cup Premier Division qualification.

The Cheetahs solidified third place on the log table with a deserving 59-17 victory over the Falcons in Bloemfontein; the Boland Cavaliers were in rampant mood in their 80-0 defeat of the Leopards in Wellington; and the Griffons ensured they also stayed in the hunt for qualification thanks to their 57-27 triumph over the SWD Eagles 57-27 in Welkom.

Meanwhile, Eastern Province emerged victorious 41-15 in their Friday afternoon Eastern Cape Derby with the Border Bulldogs in East London.

With just two regulation games remaining before the playoffs, Pumas moved into the lead on the log with 35 points, three more than the defending champions from Kimberley.

The leading duo are followed by the Cheetahs, whose fifth win increased their points tally to 27, which is two more than the Boland Cavaliers (fourth) and the Griffons (fifth), with the Bolanders in that crucial fourth spot because of their better points differential.

The Falcons find themselves just outside the top five with 20 points, followed by EP (17 points), the Eagles (seven points), Leopards (four) and Border (two points).

The seventh round delivered some thrilling rugby. In the weekend’s feature game at Mbombela Stadium, the Pumas finally got the better of the Griquas when they emerged 39-34 winners on Friday evening. Coming into the game, both sides were unbeaten after six rounds, and the match lived up to its billing with both teams crossing over five times.

Griquas saw their incredible unbeaten run, this was their first defeat in the competition, which was launched last year, shattered by the resolute Pumas, who registered their first win of the competition in three starts against their arch-rivals. The Kimberley outfit won last year’s league encounter between the sides and were also victorious in the inaugural final.

The team from Mpumalanga took sweet revenge when they kicked on from their 25-19 halftime advantage and managed to hold on at the end, when the defending champions had two clear chances to steal the game in the dying moments, but they twice squandered great opportunities.

Sango Xamlashe and Lundi Msenge each bagged two tries for the Pumas, while the reliable boot of ace goal kicker Clinton Swart proved crucial as he slotted four conversions and two penalty goals in addition to his try, taking his tally to 19 points.

Cameron Hufkie had a good game in the Griquas No. 15 jersey, and he led the charge with two tries. Playmaker George Whitehead proved his worth with one try, three conversions, and a penalty goal to keep the visitors in contention throughout.

Earlier on Friday in East London, Eastern Province secured their third victory of the season with a 41-15 victory over Border Bulldogs at Police Park. The visitors dominated the first opening spell and established a halftime lead of 17-3. The Bulldogs struggled to break through the EP defence, managing only a penalty goal kick by Maxwell Klaasen.

The second stanza saw EP extend that lead, scoring a total of seven tries in the end. Rodney Damons was particularly impressive on the right wing, crossing the try line three times, while No. 8 Diego Williams added two tries. Despite their valiant efforts, the Bulldogs could only manage two tries in the second period, scored by Sakhe Dingile and Hlumelo Zitha, with Klaasen also adding a conversion and a penalty goal kick.

On Saturday, the Cheetahs strengthened their grip on third place with a commanding 59-17 victory over the Falcons in Bloemfontein. They managed six tries in the opening half, including a try from Cohen Jasper two minutes after the start and the first of Michael Annies’ three tries, which he would dot down on the day, to open a 23-point advantage at the break.

The Free State outfit continued in this vein in the second stanza, adding a further three tries while the East Rand side could only manage one converted try, despite the hosts having Marco Janse van Vuren in the sin bin with a yellow card. It was the impressive Annies who went over twice after the break as he completed his hat-trick as the hosts added 26 points in the second period.

Marko Janse van Rensburg and Jasper, who also contributed seven conversions, each also crossed the try line twice for the Bloemfontein hosts. The Falcons managed to score two tries in the end, one by Abulele Ndabambi and another by Musa Tshabalala, with Sergio Stalmeester contributing two conversions and a penalty goal.

In a dominant display of all-out attacking rugby, the Boland Cavaliers overwhelmed the Leopards with an 80-0 triumph in Wellington on Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers showcased their attacking prowess by scoring a total of 12 tries and keeping the Leopards scoreless throughout the match.

They set the tone early, racing to a halftime 33-0 lead as their relentless attack and solid defence left the Leopards struggling to gain any ground in an opening spell that produced five tries.

The second half saw the Cavaliers continue with their dominance, adding another 47 points to their tally. Speedster Xavier Mitchell completed a hat-trick of tries, while Godlen Masimla finished with two tries to his name. James Tedder was accurate from the kicking tee as he successfully kicked six conversions, while pivot Ashlon Davids also contributed four conversion kicks.

Meanwhile, the Griffons defeated SWD Eagles 57-27 in Welkom on Saturday to ensure they stay in the hunt for qualification as they remain level on points with the Kavaliers. The Northern Free Staters were the better side in the first half, which saw them open a 26-10 gap at the halfway stage, dominating the Eagles, who had two front rankers sent off with yellow cards during this time.

The visitors from George were badly let down by their discipline as they conceded another two yellow cards in the second half to bring their match total to four, while the Griffons also had one player in the bin.

The hosts made full use of their numerical advantage as they piled on the pressure, eventually scoring nine tries while the Eagles responded with two. Andrew Kota continued with his prolific scoring form as he went over twice and succeeded with six conversions for the Griffons, while Mingo Piti also managed to register two tries. Sachin Toring was one of the Eagles’ three try scorers, and he also added two successful conversion kicks.

*All Saturday’s scores and scorers below…

Cheetahs 59-17 Valke

Scorers:

Cheetahs:
Tries: Annies 3, Janse Van Rensburg 2, Jasper 2, Van der Westhuizen, Nkabinde
Cons: Jasper 7

Valke:
Tries: Ndabambi, Tshabalala
Cons: Sergio Stalmeester 2
Pen: Stalmeester

Teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Cohen Jasper, 14 Prince Nkabinde, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Michael Annies, 10 George Lourens, 9 Jandre Nel, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Pierre-Raymond Uys, 6 Neels Volschenk, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen (captain), 1 Hencus van Wyk
Replacements: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuuren, 20 Sisonke Vumazonke, 21 Daniel Maartens, 22 Raegan Oranje, 23 Banie Britz

Falcons: 15 Mbembe Payi, 14 Valentino Wellman, 13 Musa Tshabalala, 12 Zeilinga Strydom, 11 Ezrick Alexander, 10 Sergio Stalmeester, 9 Wernich Aucamp, 8 Abulele Ndabambi, 7 Godfrey Muzanargwo, 6 Kelvin Kanenungo, 5 Andrew Volschenk, 4 Eddie Evans (captain), 3 Blaine Golden, 2 Pierre Rabie, 1 Kayden Kiewit
Replacements: 16 Sikholise Nanto, 17 Lindokuhle Seteni, 18 Cohen Kiewit, 19 Philip Apea-Adu, 20 Zingisa April, 21 Liam Kloosman, 22 Waqar Solaan, 23 Adrian Jouber

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys

Boland Cavaliers 80-0 Leopards

Scorers:

Cavaliers:
Tries: Mitchell 3, Masimla 2, Van Schoor, Tedder, Mafu, Tobias, Nxele, Smit, Lewis Cons: Tedder 6, Davids 4

Leopards 0

Teams:

Boland:15 James Tedder, 14 Renaldo Young, 13 Lunathi Nxzele, 12 Jurick Lewis, 11 Xavier Mitchell, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Chriswill September 8 Thurlow Marsh (captain), 7 Sibusiso Sangweni, 6 Gift Dlamini, 5 Michael Benadie, 4 Khwezi Mafu, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Wayrin Losper
Replacements: 16 HP van Schoor, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Doctor Booysen, 19 Sauliegh Arendse, 20 Ludio Williams, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Erik Lambrecht, 23 Domenic Smit

Leopards: 15 Luan van der Walt, 14 Sino Tshontyi, 13 Matthew Fortuin, 12 Bryan Breda, 11 Naiden Jaarts, 10 Brandon Keevy, 9 Chadd Adams, 8 Eben Verster, 7 Uzile Tele, 6 Gcino Mdletshe, 5 Chris van Heerden, 4 Hanro Potgieter, 3 Ig Prinsloo (captain), 2 Jason Alexander, 1 Jason Jansen
Replacements: 16 Richard Fourie, 17 Tatenda Chayayi, 18 Werner Geldenhuys, 19 Lead Prins, 20 Didi Sekati, 21 Sanele Zungu, 22 Shaun Baxter, 23 Clyde Lewis

Referee: Sean Muller

Griffons 57-27 SWD Eagles

Scorers:

Griffons:
Tries: Kota 2, Piti 2, Hollis, Olivier, Nojekwa, Pienaar, Van den Hever
Cons: Kota 6

Eagles:
Tries: Toring, Ntsane, Abrahams, Kruger
Cons: Toring 2, Abrahams 2

Teams:

Griffons: 15 Keanu Vers, 14 Christiaan Nel, 13 Aphiwe Stemela, 12 Chris Hollis, 11 Qamani Kota, 10 Duan Pretorius, 9 Richman Gora, 8 Ulrich Stander, 7 Thomas Ongera, 6 Mingo Piti, 5 Curtly Thomas, 4 Lungi Mbiko, 3 Buhle Nojekwa, 2 Willem vd Hever, 1 Simon Westraadt
Replacements: 16 Chadley Wenn, 17 Xolani Jacobs, 18 Mthokozisi Gumede, 19 Matt Gray, 20 Calla Pienaar, 21 Rian Olivier, 22 Kyle Cyster, 23 Quan Eymann, 24 Edwin Nxumalo

Eagles: 15 Roshwin Abrahams, 14 Rosco Syster, 13 Edwin Sass, 12 JP Duvenhage, 11 Mpho Ntsane, 10 Eric Zana, 9 Sachin Toring, 8 Leighton van Wyk, 7 Azola Mati, 6 Dian Basson, 5 Mncedisi Dlwengu (captain), 4 Ethan Stuurman, 3 Hlomla Zondani, 2 Marco Fuhri, 1 Tandolwetu Matolengwe
Replacements: 16 Stephan Leonard, 17 Cole Haggard, 18 Stefaan Grundlingh, 19 Wayne Khan, 20 Gerschwin Muller, 21 Keegan Schaefer, 22 Clive Kruger, 23 Dehovine Johannes, 24 Marlo Weich

Referee: Jonathan Lottering

Pumas 39 34 Griquas 34

Scorers:

Pumas:
Tries: Xamlashe 2, Msenge 2, Swart
Cons: Swart 4
Pens: Swart 2

Griquas:
Tries: Hufke 2, Maart, Whitehead, Uys
Cons: Whitehead 3
Pen: Whitehead

Teams:

Pumas: 15 Jaycee Nel, 14 Lundi Msenge, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Clinton Swart 9 Ross Braude, 8 Willie Engelebrecht, 7 Ruwald van der Merwe, 6 Ntsika Fisanti, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 Jeandre Leonard, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Etienne Janeke
Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu, 17 Stephan de Jager, 18 Deward Maritz, 19 Heinz Bertram, 20 Andre Fouche, 21 Kwanda Dimaza, 22 Danrich Visagie, 23 Tino Swanepoel

Griquas: 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Gurwin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead (captain), 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Thabo Ndimande, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Cone Weilbach, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Eddie Davids
Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Cebo Dlamini, 19 Athenkosi Khethani, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Bobby Alexander, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 23 Mnombo Zwelendaba

Referee: Christopher Allison

Border Bulldogs 15-41 Eastern Province

Scorers:

Border:
Tries: Dingile, Zitha
Con: Klaasen
Pen: Klaasen

EP:
Tries: Damons 3, Williams 2, Ngubane, Plaatjies
Cons: Bantom 2, November

Teams:

Border: 15 Maxwell Klaasen, 14 Mbasa Nkonki, 13 Ryan Maree, 12 Hlumelo Zitha, 11 Sakhekile Dingile, 10 Oliver Zono, 9 Abdur Smail, 8 Soso Xhakalashe, 7 Hlomla Payi, 6 Esethu Zenani, 5 Caleb Radcliffe, 4 Camagu Dlisani, 2 Hlumza Nondonga, 2 Kamvelihle Fayela, 1 Sibusiso Lali (captain)
Replacements: 16 Mangaliso Zixesha, 17 Luxolo Koza, 18 Siphetho Manakaza, 19 Ayabonga Nomboyo, 20 Oyisa Balekile, 21 Hlumelo Pnatyo, 22 Simthembile Zozi, 23 Unathi Mayekiso

Eastern Province: 15 Jaden Bantom, 14 Rodney Damons, 13 Sherwin Slater, 12 Troy Delport, 11 Davian Swanepoel, 10 Chris Humphries, 9 Shirwin Cupido, 8 Diego Williams, 7 Laken Gray, 6 CJ Velleman, 5 JJ Scheepers, 4 Stefan Willemse (captain), 3 Duncan du Buisson, 2 Deon Plaatjies, 1 Zukisa Sali
Replacements: 16 Masikane Mazwi, 17 Arno Gustafson, 18 Andile Ngonyama, 19 Johannes Huisamen, 20 Athenkosi Manentsa, 21 Ruan Claassen, 22 Wayne Ngubane, 23 Chadwin November

Referee: Dylen November