Race for top four spots heats up in SA Cup

WRAP: With three round robin matches to go, the race for top four spots is heating up in the SA Cup

The Cheetahs, Boland Cavaliers and Falcons were the biggest beneficiaries over the weekend following impressive victories in Round Six of the SA Cup to ensure they remain in the race to qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division.

The two unbeaten front runners, Griquas and the Pumas, secured comfortable victories to keep their winning runs intact.

The Cheetahs bagged their fourth win and second in a row when they overran the SWD Eagles 87-15 at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein to move into third spot on the league table.

The Boland Cavaliers shrugged off their two previous losses by outgunning the Border Bulldogs 52-3 to move into fourth place on points’ difference, although they share the same amount of league points with the Griffons and Falcons.

The East Randers shrugged off a first-half blitz by the men from the Northern Free State to score two tries in the dying minutes to gain a thrilling 45-40 win in Kempton Park.

The Pumas brushed aside the Leopards by 80-10 in Potchefstroom, while holders Griquas opened the weekend’s action when they defeated Eastern Province by 70-17 in Kimberley on Friday afternoon.

With only three league rounds remaining before the play-offs, Griquas and the Pumas still leading the table on 30 points each; the Cheetahs are third on 22 points, which is two more than the Kavalier, Griffons, and Falcons.

EP are seventh on 12 points, with the defeat in the Northern Cape a big blow to their semifinal aspirations, while SWD (seven points), the Leopards (four) and Border (two) complete the standings.

In the weekend’s action, the Cheetahs’ challenge for a top four spot gathered more momentum when they overpowered SWD Eagles by 87-15 after leading 26-15 in Bloemfontein.

The Free Staters scored 13 tries to two and pulled away in the second half after the Eagles had put up an admirable fight in the opening half.

Cohen Jasper, Prince Nkabinde, and Rewan Kruger scored early for the Cheetahs, but the Eagles hit back with two tries through Kirwin Cupido and a conversion and penalty goal slotted by Roshwin Abrahams.

The home team dominated after the break as they raced away to score 10 unanswered tries, with no less than five players – Marko Janse van Rensburg, Nkabinde, Kruger, Neels Volschenk and Pierre Uys – each going over twice.

Clayton Blommetjies (five) and Jasper (six) shared 11 successful conversions between them.

Boland Cavaliers got back on the winning wagon when they defeated the Border Bulldogs 52-3 in their league clash at Police Park in East London.

The Cavaliers scored three tries and a conversion in the opening spell, while Border replied with a penalty goal by Maxwell Klaasen for their only points of this encounter.

Border’s resistance crumbled after the break when the Cavaliers piled on the pressure to score six more tries for this comfortable away win, which was their third of the campaign.

Sydney Tobias was the recipient of two maul tries, while James Tedder and Ashlon Davids each succeeded with three conversions.

The Falcons scored a thrilling comeback win over the Griffons on Saturday afternoon in Kempton Park, where they fought their way back from a 40-7 half-time deficit to edge the team from Welkom 45-40 in one of the most extraordinary 40 minutes SA Cup rugby.

The Griffons were red hot in the opening spell and scored six tries – two by Kyle Cyster and one each through Keanu Vers, Willem van den Heever and Chris Nel – as well as five Andrew Kota conversions, to race into a 33-point first-half advantage.

The hosts were stunned and replied with a Musa Tshabalala converted try during this period.

But the Falcons came out a different beast in the second stanza and once they scored their second try, again through Musa, to start a memorable fightback.

They then proceeded to dominate possession and took full advantage of their scoring opportunities whilst also keeping the dangerous Griffons at bay with solid defence.

Adrian Joubert’s try six minutes from the end drew the teams level on 40-all and with all the momentum on the side of the East Randers, they managed to send Sergio Stalmeester over for the winning score with the clock in the red.

Stalmeester played a pivotal role in the comeback win as he matched Kota with five conversions to keep the scoreboard pressure going, and although the Griffons will wonder how they let this one slip, they still returned to Welkom with two bonus points to keep their noses in front of the East Randers on the log.

The Pumas outmuscled the Leopards 80-10 in Potchefstroom as the side from Mpumalanga maintained their perfect league record to date.

They were 47-10 ahead at the midway stage and they did not relent, scoring at will also in the second half to notch up their sixth win.

In the end, the Pumas scored 12 tries, of which only two were not converted, while the Leopards replied with a converted try and a penalty goal.

Former BlitzBok speedster Darren Adonis maintained his prolific try-scoring form by helping himself to another hat-trick of tries, while Eddie Swart went over twice.

Pumas flyhalf Danrich Visagie was once more the playmaking maestro as he contributed 21 points via a try and eight conversions.

Daniel Verster was the solo try scorer for the Leopards, with Charles Williams slotting the conversion and a penalty goal.

Unbeaten log leaders Griquas delivered another dominant performance against Eastern Province, when they triumphed 70-17 in the only Friday fixture played in Kimberley.

The hosts were closely matched during the first half and led 14-10 at the break, but they cut loose in the second stanza to add eight more tries to their tally of two in the first half to register another runaway win.

The match began with a strong start from the Kimberley outfit as Tertius Kruger scored their first try within the opening minutes which was converted by ace kicker George Whitehead.

EP responded with a try from Sherwin Slater and Christian Humphries added the conversion to level the score.

Dylan Maart then crossed the line for the Griquas for the first of his three tries as the hosts extended their lead.

Just before the break, EP managed to score a penalty goal through Humphries to reduce the half-time deficit to just 14-10.

But the defending champions came out firing in the second stanza with Maart scoring two more tries in quick succession to complete his hat-trick.

Cameron Hufke also added another try for Griquas to further extend their lead.

The men from Kimberley proceeded to score another six tries while EP managed one in reply as the defending champions gained their sixth win of a flawless campaign to date.

EP’s causes were further damaged when Diego Williams and Stefan Willemse were yellow-carded, while Gustav Erlank sat out 10 minutes for the Griquas.

All the teams have a break before the action resumes on the weekend of April 25, with a top-of-the-table clash in Nelspruit between the Pumas and Griquas.

On Saturday April 26, Boland Cavaliers host the Leopards in Wellington. Border and EP play their Eastern Cape derby in East London. The Griffons welcome SWD Eagles to Welkom and the Cheetahs are home to Falcons, in Bloemfontein.

See all the scores and scorers below…

Cheetahs 87-15 SWD Eagles

Scorers:

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Janse Van Rensburg 2, Nkabinde 2, Kruger 2, Volschenk 2, Uys 2, Janse van Vuren, Nel
Cons: Jasper 6, Blommetjies 5

For the Eagles:
Tries: Cupido 2
Con: Abrahams
Pen: Abrahams

Teams:

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

SWD Eagles: 15 Roshwin Abrahams, 14 Kirwan Cupido, 13 JP Duvenage (vice captain), 12 Edwin Sass, 11 Rosco Syster, 10 Marlo Weich, 9 Sachin Toring, 8 Micheal Cloete, 7 Dian Basson, 6 Damon Royle, 5 Mncedisi Dlwengu (captain), 4 Azola Mati, 3 Hlomla Zodani, 2 Marco Fuhri, 1, Tandolwetu Matolengwe.
Replacements: 16 Stephan Leonard, 17 Cole Haggard, 18 Cecil Rittels, 19 Ethan Stuurman, 20 Wayne Khan, 21 Arden-Lee Meyer, 22 Quaid Langeveldt, 23 Keanu Langeveldt, 24 Christo Swanepoel.

Referee: Eon van Zyl

Border Bulldogs 3-52 Boland Cavaliers

Scorers:

For Border Bulldogs:
Pen: Klaasen.

For Boland Cavaliers:
Tries: Tobias 2, Nxele, Smit, Mitchell, Benadie, Marsh, Lewis.
Cons: Tedder 3, Davids 3

Teams:

Border:

Boland: 15 James Tedder, 14 Riaan Louw, 13 Lunathi Nxele (captain), 12 Jurick Lewis, 11 Xavier Mitchell, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Bentley Geldenhuys, 8 Sibusiso Sangweni, 7 Ludio Williams, 6 Gift Dlamini (vice captain), 5 Micheal Benadie, 4 Khwezi Mafu, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Wayrin Losper.
Replacements: 16 HP van Schoor, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Dian Heunis, 19 Peter-John Smit, 20 Thurlow Marsh, 21 Aphelele Madaka, 22 Renaldo Young, 23 Domenic Smit.

Referee: Jonathan Lottering

Falcons 45-40 Griffons

Scorers:

For the Falcons:
Tries: Tshabalala 2, Strydom, Golden, Stalmeester, Muzanargwo, Joubert
Cons: Stalmeester 5

For the Griffons:
Tries: Cyster 2, Vers, Van den Hever, Gora, Nel
Cons: Kota 5

Teams:

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

Griffons: 15 Kyle Cyster, 14 Christiaan Nel, 13 Keanu Vers, 12 Chris Hollis, 11 Qamani Kota, 10 Duan Pretorius, 9 Richman Gora, 8 Ulrich Stander, 7 Thomas Ongera, 6 Mingo Piti, 5 Matt Gray, 4 Lungi Mbiko, 3 Buhle Nojekwa, 2 Willem vd Hever, 1 Mthokozisi Gumede
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 Xolani Jacobs, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Curtly Thomas, 20. Calla Pienaar, 21 Rian Olivier, 22 Aphiwe Stemela, 23 Quan Eymann, 24 Chadley Wenn, 25 Jared Kruger, 26 Cheslin Arendse

Referee: Christopher Allison

Leopards 10-80 Pumas

Scorers:

For the Leopards:
Try: Verster
Con: Williams
Pen: Williams

For the Pumas:
Tries: Adonis 3, Swart 2, Coetzee, Osuagwu, Visagie, Blood, Msenge, Fisanti, Mashimbyi
Cons: Visagie 8, Coetzee 2

Teams:

Leopards: 15 Lwandile Mapuko, 14 Sino Tshontyi, 13 Brandon Keevy, 12 Bryan Breda, 11 Ronaldo Fortuin, 10 Charles Williams, 9 Sylvester Hassien, 8 Didi Sekati, 7 Uzile Tele, 6 Arminn Posthumus, 5 Chris van Heerden, 4 Lood Prins, 3 Ig Prinsloo (captain), 2 Liyema Mgwigwi, 1 Jason Jansen.
Replacements: 16 Mian van Rooyen, 17 Tatenda Chayayi, 18 Werner Geldenhuys, 19 Gcino Mdletshe, 20 Eben Verster, 21 Chadd Adams, 22 Chad Oppelt, 23 Clyde Lewis.

Pumas: 15 Tino Swanepoel, 14 Stefan Coetzee, 13 Sango Xamlashe (captain), 12 Carlton Banies, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Darich Visagie, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Marvellous Mashimbyi, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Ntsika Fisanti, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 Heinz Bertram, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Etienne Janeke.
Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu,17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Jeandre Leonard, 19 Andre Fouche, 20 Ruwald van der Merwe, 21 Russwill Fredericks, 22 Lundi Msenge, 23 Dalvon Blood.

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys

Griquas 70-17 Eastern Province

Scorers:

For Griquas:
Tries: Kruger 3, Maart 3, Hufke, Sjoblom, Wehr, Bester
Cons: Whitehead 5, Sefoor 5

For EP:
Tries: Slater, Bantom
Cons: Humphries 2
Pen: Humphries

Teams:

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

Eastern Province: 15 Jayden Bantom, 14 Rodney Damons, 13 Sherwin Slater, 12 Troy Delport, 11 Davian Swanepoel, 10 Chris Humphries, 9 Shirwin Cupido, 8 Athi Manetsa, 7 Laken Gray, 6 CJ Velleman, 5 Stefan Willemse (captain), 4 JJ Scheepers, 3 Zukisa Sali, 2 Deon Plaatjies, 1 Siyakubonga Nzuzo.
Replacements: 16 Masikane Mazwi, 17 Arno Gustafson, 18 Duncan du Buisson, 19 Hannes Huisamen, 20 Diego Williams, 21 Wayne Ngubane, 22 Chadwyn November, 23 Liqhawe Mokuena/Enrique Franks.

Referee: Griffin Colby

Image credit @ValkeRugby