The penultimate round of the SA Cup saw the top four teams all keep their final hopes alive with the conclusion of the group stage in sight.
Unfortunately for the fifth-placed Boland Kavaliers, defeat in Mpumalanga ended their hopes of reaching the showpiece.
The weekend’s action commenced with the Cheetahs dominating the Border Bulldogs in East London, securing a bonus-point victory with a resounding 57-14 triumph.
Although the Free Staters’ hopes for a final appearance linger; they stand fourth, trailing the second-placed Pumas by four points, and with a bit of luck, can still sneak into the top two.
The Bulldogs struggled yet again as their dry run to put some points on the board continued and they are still last on the log.
The Kavaliers faced a crushing 49-0 defeat against the Pumas at Mbombela Stadium, shattering their playoff aspirations.
STATE OF THE URC: Full steam ahead for SA teams
In a thrilling 17-try clash at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley, the SWD Eagles showcased a commendable performance against the log-leading Griquas. Despite falling short in a 53-75 loss, SWD’s high-scoring effort propelled them to sixth place based on points’ difference, tied with Valke and Eastern Province on 13 log points.
However, Griquas are still leading the pack comfortably, and this victory over SWD – where Cameron Hufke and Zane Bester both managed to score hat-tricks – meant that a draw in the final round will be enough to secure them the hosting rights for the final, which is scheduled for Saturday, 25 May.
A hat-trick from Valentino Wellman took the Valke from the bottom two thanks to a 50-19 victory over the Leopards in Kempton Park on Saturday. This victory catapulted the East Randers from ninth to seventh on the log, but the Leopards dropped one position and find themselves in ninth spot with 11 points.
In Sunday’s lone match, the Griffons claimed a crucial 45-19 victory over Eastern Province as they maintained their third position, which gives them an outside chance to reach the finals should one of the front-runners trip up tine final round. The side from Gqeberha dropped to eighth place on the table.
Scorers:
Border (14) – Tries: Simuthembile Ntleki and Sakhekile Dingile. Conversions: Merlin Du Plesis (2).
Cheetahs (57) – Tries: Louis van der Westhuizen, Pierre-Raymond Uys, Mzwanele Zito, Litha Nkula, Jooste Nel, Andell Loubser, Marnus van der Merwe, Ruan Pienaar and Tapiwa Mafura. Conversions: Ethan Wentzel (3), Loubser (2) and Pienaar.
Pumas (49) – Tries: Ruwald van der Merwe, Kwanda Dimaza, Clinton Swart, Lundi Msenge, De-an Ackermann and Stefan Coetzee (2). Conversions: Swart (6) and Gene Willemse.
Boland Kavaliers 0
Griquas (75) – Tries: Janco Uys, Carl Els, Sako Makata, Zane Bester (3), Connor Mahoney, Cameron Hufke (3) and Mnombo Zwelendaba. Conversions: George Whitehead (10).
SWD Eagles (53) – Tries: Uzile Tele, Stone Cloete, Deon Carstens, Rosco Syster (2) and Wayne Khan. Conversions: Sachin Toring, Joshua Vermeulen, Marlo Weich. Penalty: Vermeulen.
Valke (50) – Tries: Pierre Rabie, Zingisa April, Ezrick Alexander (2), Valentino Wellman (3) and Anrich Richter. Conversions: Sergio Stalmeester (2) and Richter (3).
Leopards (19) – Tries: Charles Williams and Naiden Jaarts (2). Conversions: Williams (2).
Griffons (45) – Tries: HP van Schoor, Rian Olivier, Richman Gora, Gurshwin Wehr, Randy Fillies and Duren Hoffman (2). Conversions: Danrich Visagie (5).
EP (19) – Tries: Jayden Bantom and Mbembe Payi (2). Conversions: Ruben de Vos (2).
Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
