Griquas got the weekend off to an exciting start on Friday evening with their 40-10 dismantling of the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein after the Free Staters had started the game as log leaders.

In the first of three Saturday fixtures, the Lions overpowered an injury-ravaged Vodacom Bulls by 44-5 in a win that effectively ended the Pretoria outfit’s campaign.

That Gauteng derby was followed by another enthralling encounter, between the Sharks XV and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, which the KwaZulu-Natalians won 33-31 in dramatic fashion with the last kick of the match in Pietermaritzburg.

The Pumas then finished the round in style by beating DHL Western Province 39-13 for another bonus-point win, which keep alive their chances of a playoff spot as the action moves towards the last round of league fixtures which will be staged next weekend.

Griquas moved into pole position on the log with their comprehensive win in Bloemfontein as the Kimberley outfit increased their tally to 25 points from five wins in six games.

They are followed by surprise package Kavaliers, who have two points less (23 points). The side from Wellington gained two crucial points from their heartbreaking loss, but they are just two points above the third-placed Lions and fourth-placed Cheetahs (both 21 on points).

The Pumas are one point adrift of the top four on 20 points, and the men from Mpumalanga are followed by the Bulls and Sharks XV, who are both sitting on 10 points, and then winless WP who have a single league point to their credit.

In next weekend’s crucial final round of league fixtures, the Sharks XV host a Pumas side who will be desperate for a win to secure a top-four spot on Friday evening in Durban (19h00).

Three games are scheduled for Saturday: WP and Boland face off in a Western Cape Derby from 14h15 at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town; the Lions host Griquas in a 17h00 kick-off at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, and the day’s action will be completed in Pretoria, where the Bulls welcome the Cheetahs for their 19h05 clash.

Last Friday evening, Suzuki Griquas delivered a great first-half performance to overpower the Toyota Cheetahs 40-10 at Toyota Stadium, mainly thanks to a clinical first-half display that saw them score five tries as the hosts’ lock and skipper Victor Sekekete made his 100^th appearance for the Free Staters.

The visitors won in convincing style in the end after outscoring their neighbours by six tries to two after leading 33-5 at the break.

Griquas were quick out of the blocks as they crossed the line three tries in the first 15 minutes. Flyhalf George Whitehead went over in the third minute to open the scoring and converted his own try. Three minutes later, outside centre Zane Bester also burst through for a converted try, and he was followed by scrumhalf Caleb Abrahams, who sniped around the blindside as they raced to 21-0.

The Cheetahs finally responded when hooker Marko Janse van Rensburg broke from a maul to score (21-5), however, Griquas hit back almost immediately. Speedy wing Gurshwin Wehr showed superb skill to stay in-field and dive over in the corner, with Whitehead’s conversion extending the lead to 28-5. They ended the first half on a high when fullback Cameron Hufke dotted down.

The second stanza half a much tighter affair and Wehr broke the second-half scoring deadlock later on by intercepting a loose pass for his second try, increasing their advantage to 40-5.

Discipline then became an issue for the Griquas, who were reduced to 12 men in the final 10 minutes. Replacement prop Leon Lyons received a yellow card for repeated infringements, Abrahams was shown yellow for a cynical offside, and lock Albert Leibenberg also got his marching orders for a maul offence.

But, despite the numerical advantage, the Cheetahs struggled to capitalize, and only loose forward Daniel Maartens managed to score from a maul to make the end score 40-10.

In a commanding performance in the Jukskei Derby, the Fidelity ADT Lions secured a decisive 44-5 victory over the Vodacom Bulls. This one-sided result pushed the Lions up to third on the log with one match to go. The Bulls, hampered by injuries and the unavailability of several players in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship squad, struggled to match the intensity and skill of the Lions outfit.

They hosts started strong, with former Bulls flyhalf Chris Smith kicking an early penalty goal and then scoring a try to establish a 10-point lead, but the visitors responded with a try from Jaco van der Walt. The home side quickly regained control when SJ Kotze powered over from a close-range maul, and PJ Botha followed up with a try from another well-executed rolling maul after Bulls prop Simphiwe Matanzima was shown yellow for repeated infringements.

The second half saw the Lions continue their dominance as Richard Kriel scored a crucial try behind the posts to secure the bonus point for the home side. The match concluded with further tries from Sam Francis and Junior Bok stalwart Haashim Pead – who scored his first Carling Currie Cup try – rounding off the impressive victory. The final stages of the game saw a series of yellow cards, with the Bulls' Cornel Smit and Marco Ferreira and the Lions' Ruan Venter all receiving their marching orders.

In a thrilling contest on Saturday evening in Pietermaritzburg, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV clinched a dramatic 33-31 victory over Sanlam Boland Kavaliers at Woodburn Stadium, with replacement flyhalf Siya Masuku slotting a long-range penalty goal to secure the win six minutes after the final hooter. Boland outscored their KwaZulu-Natal hosts by four tries to three, but they failed to close out the game successfully.

The Sharks XV held the lead for most of the match, building a 13-point advantage at one stage. Their tries came from a pair of driving mauls by Jacques Marais, who was named man of the match, and one from centre Junior Bok midfielder Albie Bester. Jean Smith, who started at flyhalf and had an outstanding game, kicked three conversions and three penalty goals.

Despite being on the back foot for much of the game, Boland staged a tenacious comeback. Sauliegh Arendse, prolific scorer Donavan Don, Dayan van der Westhuizen, and HP van Schoor all scored tries for the visitors, with James Tedder adding four conversions and a late penalty goal that gave them a narrow lead with three minutes to go.

The Kavaliers seemed poised for victory when they were awarded a scrum near the halfway line in the dying seconds. However, a risky kick ahead from scrumhalf Godlen Masimla handed possession back to the Sharks XV, who worked their way upfield to earn the game-winning penalty.

In a gripping Saturday evening clash at DHL Stadium, the Airlink Pumas staged a successful second-half comeback to secure a crucial 39-13 bonus-point victory over DHL Western Province in a game of two distinct halves.

WP started with a bang, as lock Connor Evans crashed over for the opening try in the first minute, converted by flyhalf Kyle Smith. The match then settled into a tough forward battle and later Smith added a penalty goal to give the hosts a 10-0 lead. Just before the halftime hooter, Pumas loose forward Andre Fouche scored a vital try from a powerful maul, with Clinton Swart converting to narrow the deficit to 10-7 at the break.

The second half belonged to the Pumas, however. Swart levelled the scores with a penalty goal kick, before lock Tiaan de Klerk and outside centre Sango Xamlashe each scored tries, while Swart slotted one conversion. As the Pumas built a comfortable lead, both teams traded penalty goals, taking the score at 25-13.

The men from Mpumalanga sealed the bonus point ten minutes before the end through wing Darren Adonis, with Swart converting. They added one more score when replacement prop Junior Banda smashed his way over for a try in the last minute.

Scorers:

Toyota Cheetahs 10 (5), Suzuki Griquas 40 (33)
Cheetahs – Tries: Marko Janse van Rensburg, Daniel Maartens.
Griquas – Tries: George Whitehead, Zane Bester, Caleb Abrahams, Gurshwin Wehr (2), Cameron Hufke; Conversions: Whitehead (5).

Fidelity ADT Lions 44 (20), Vodacom Bulls 5 (5)
Lions – Tries: Chris Smith, SJ Kotze, PJ Botha, Richard Kriel, Sam Francis, Haashim Pead. Conversions: Smith (2), Francis, Kriel. Penalties: Smith (2).
Bulls – Try: Jaco van der Walt.

Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 33 (17), Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 31 (7)
Sharks XV – Tries: Jacques Marais (2), Albie Bester. Conversions: Jean Smith (3). Penalty goals: Smith (3), Siya Masuku.
Boland – Tries: Sauliegh Arendse, Donavan Don, Dayan van der Westhuizen, HP van Schoor. Conversions: James Tedder (4). Penalty goal: James Tedder.

DHL Western Province 39 (10), Airlink Pumas 13 (7)
WP – Try: Connor Evans. Conversion: Kyle Smith. Penalty goals: Smith (2).
Pumas – Tries: Andre Fouche, Tiaan de Klerk, Sango Xamlashe, Darren Adonis, Junior Banda. Conversions: Clinton Swart (4). Penalty goals: Swart (2).