The Fidelity ADT Lions, Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs will put their unbeaten status on the line in the third round of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, while the two First Division semi-finals will be staged on Saturday afternoon in Wellington and Uitenhage.
The Fidelity ADT Lions host Suzuki Griquas in Friday's opening clash in what promises to be an exciting affair at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, where the action starts at 3pm.
Two hours later in Pretoria, the Vodacom Bulls lock horns with defending champions, Toyota Cheetahs, in an equally spicy affair at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and the third encounter on Friday will take place in Durban, where the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV face the Airlink Pumas from 7pm.
The final match of the round is on Sunday in Welkom between the NovaVit Griffons and DHL Western Province, where the starting time is 3pm. All games will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Last week, the Lions romped to a 75-21 triumph over the Pumas in Nelspruit, and the Gauteng side will be aiming to build on their prolific early-season form when they host the Griquas Friday in Johannesburg.
The men from Kimberley staged a great comeback last weekend to edge a powerful Sharks XV in the Diamond City but the big question of whether they'd be able to conquer the Highvelders will be answered on Friday.
A titanic clash is in the offering in Friday's second clash in Pretoria, where the Bulls, champions in 2020 and 2021, face current holders, the Cheetahs. The men from Pretoria easily swept aside the Griffons last week but the Bloemfontein outfit will offer a far sterner test at Loftus.
And in Durban, both the Sharks XV and Pumas will be eager to return to winning ways after they ended on the losing side last time out.
The KwaZulu-Natalians will especially feel unhappy by their second half performance against the Griquas, which led to a three-point loss, while the Lowvelders would want to make amends for their drubbing at home against the Lions.
Meanwhile, the Griffons will fancy their chances against WP, who are yet to hit good form this year, even though the men from the Northern Free State will realise a big step up will be required if they are going to cause an upset on their fast track in Welkom.
Fixtures
Fidelity ADT Lions v Suzuki Griquas - Friday @ Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg (3pm)
Referee: Griffin Colby
TV: SS Variety 3
Vodacom Bulls v Toyota Cheetahs - Friday @ Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (5pm)
Referee: Sean Muller
TV: SS Variety 3
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV v Airlink Pumas - Saturday @ Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban (7pm)
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
TV: SS Variety 3
NovaVit Griffons v DHL Western Province - Sunday @ Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom (3pm)
Referee: Hanru van Rooyen
TV: SS Rugby
Meanwhile, the defending Carling Currie Cup First Division champions, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, will fancy their chances of reaching a second successive final when they host the Phangela SWD Eagles in one of the two semi-finals on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Eastern Province will look to repeat their upset from last weekend when they again clash with Valke, this time in Uitenhage, to determine the other First Division finalist.
The Kavaliers completed the league phase unbeaten and bagged a perfect 25 points from their five bonus-points victories, scoring an average of eight tries per match while conceding just over two.
The Eagles snuck into the playoffs by virtue of a better points differential than the Leopards, who also won two games and ended on 12 points. Just looking at the log, the Bolanders must be considered firm favourites to progress to their second First Division final on a trot in front of their passionate supporters.
EP will be looking to repeat their 45-33 surprise win over the Valke from last weekend when they host the East Randers in Uitenhage.
The men from the Eastern Cape finish both the recent SA Cup and the First Division league phase strongly, as they grabbed the second spot on the log away from the side from Kempton Park.
The winners of the semi-finals will face each other next Saturday to contest the Carling Currie Cup First Division final.
Fixtures
Eastern Province v Valke - Saturday @ Central Field, Uitenhage (2pm)
Referee: Ruhan Meiring
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers v Phangela SWD Eagles - Saturday @ Boland Stadium, Wellington (3pm)
Referee: Jonathan Lottering
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