In fact, the teams from Cape Town and Durban are both on a perfect 10 log points, with DHL WP occupying the top spot on the log thanks to a better points’ difference of 113, compared to the Cell C Sharks’ 86.
On a hot Tuesday afternoon at Paarl Gymnasium, DHL WP crushed Eastern Province by 71-12, while the Cell C Sharks beat Boland by 73-7, with both winning teams scoring 11 tries apiece.
On Saturday, DHL WP and the Cell C Sharks will square off for bragging rights at 10h00 (A-field), while Boland and EP will try and avoid the wooden spoon at the same time on the B-field at Paarl Gymnasium.
The final of the Inland Section takes place on Friday at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, when the Vodacom Blue Bulls and Xerox Golden Lions face each other at 13h00. The other matches are at 09h00 (Phakisa Pumas v Toyota Free State) and 11h00 (Leopards v Valke).
Cell C Sharks 73 (35), Boland 7 (7)
No fewer than four Cell C Sharks players scored braces of tries in their team’s massive 73-7 victory over Boland at Paarl Gymnasium on Thursday.
Thabiso Mdletshe (prop), Connor Simpson (No 8), Jean Roux (wing) and Kobus Hattingh (scrumhalf) recorded eight tries between the four of them. The Cell C Sharks scored a total of 11 tries in the match and were in control from start to end.
Five of their tries were scored before the break, with Mdletshe dotting down in the fifth and 24th minutes, while Boland fullback Willsley Banies converted his own try after 10 minutes in what was the only highlight for the team from the Western Cape winelands.
The second half belonged almost exclusively to the Cell C Sharks, who added a further six tries to their tally, the penultimate by Roux who got his second after Dylan Pretorius (flyhalf) passed the ball to his right wing after he had already crossed the try-line virtually untouched.
Scorers:
Cell C Sharks – Tries: Thabiso Mdletshe (2), Connor Simpson (2), Jean Roux (2), Kobus Hattingh (2), Lindokuhle Luthuli, AJ Zaahl, Adrian September. Conversions: Dylan Pretorius (3), Rynhardt Jonker, Darren Hendricks.
Boland – Try: Willsley Banies. Conversion: Banies.
DHL Western Province 71 (31), Eastern Province 12 (0)
DHL Western Province were in firm control as they smashed their neighbours, Boland, by 71-12 in the fourth match of the Coastal Section at Paarl Gymnasium.
Like their counterparts from KwaZulu-Natal, the Capetonians scored 11 tries, with Juan Beukes (lock) getting two of those, while Feghon-Leigh Snyders (flyhalf) added 17 points through a try and six conversions.
The Province boys scored five tries before the break to take a firm 31-0 lead at half-time, and kicked the second half off in the same manner when Jean-Jacques Kotze (hooker) crossed for their sixth try.
EP wasn’t going to throw in the towel though and showed a bit of fighting spirit with two tries of their own, but soon after DHL WP were back in control as they ended the match with four more tries in final 15 minutes.
Scorers:
DHL WP – Tries: Jean-Jacques Kotze, Duan Bredenkamp, Juan Beukes (2), Feghon-Leigh Snyders, Juanre de Klerk, Shane-Cole Williams, Ryan van Ster, Jason Alexander, Mnombo Zwelendaba, Raven Smith. Conversions: Snyders (6), Tyrone Maritz, Thomas Bursey.
EP – Tries: Dirk Kotze, Cole Kirkwood. Conversion: Bryce Collins.
