The unbeaten Vodacom Bulls continue their march to the Currie Cup playoffs as the Lions and Sharks bare their teeth, while the Pumas remain firmly in the semi-final race.
With the business end fast approaching and just two rounds of the regular season remaining, the battle for top-four places on the log has heated up.
The Bulls opened round 8 of the competition with a 47-24 romp of Griquas for their seventh win in eight games on Friday. In Cape Town on Saturday, the Sharks XV displayed their growing pedigree by outplaying DHL Western Province 31-23 and later, the Lions won the “big cat derby” by 38-21 over the Cheetahs.
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More importantly for the chasing Pumas, the Highvelders denied the Free Staters any bonus points. That opened the door for the Mpumalanga outfit to close the gap on fourth place with their 45-26 away victory over the Griffons on Sunday.
The Sharks climbed to third on the standings (26 points), behind the Bulls on 36 and Lions on 33, while the Cheetahs and Pumas are level on 24 points, with just points difference separating the two. WP and Griquas are on 14 points, and the Griffons on three, with these three unlikely to qualify for the playoffs.
In the penultimate round of action this week, Griquas and the Cheetahs kick the action off in Kimberley on Friday at 3pm. That clash is followed by the big Jukskei Derby, starting at 5:15pm in Pretoria, between Bulls and Lions.
The Sharks and Griffons lock horns in Saturday’s only game, from 1:30pm in Durban, with WP hosting Pumas on Sunday at 3pm in the remaining fixture of round 9.
Photo: @TheCurrieCup/Twitter
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
