There was plenty of excitement and drama in the fifth round of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, with two games ending in draws, while the Fidelity ADT Lions and DHL Western Province returned to winning ways as the race for semi-final spots start to take shape.
Both the weekend’s first two matches ended in a stalemate – the Toyota Cheetahs held the Vodacom Bulls to a 34-34 draw in Bloemfontein on Friday evening, while the encounter between the Airlink Pumas and Hollywoodbets Sharks XV also ended all square, on 44-44, in the early Saturday afternoon fixture in Nelspruit.
In the next game WP outplayed NovaVit Griffons 39-17 in Cape Town, while Sunday saw the Lions triumph 36-28 over Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley.
In the round’s opening fixture Friday in Bloemfontein, defending champions Cheetahs showed their courage by fighting from 24-3 down to earn a credible draw against log leaders, the Bulls.
The Free Staters trailed 10-3 at the end of the first stanza and rallied in the second period to outscore the men from Pretoria by five tries to four in the end. It was a case of three well-earned points by the home side against the impressive log leaders, who have not tasted defeat so far this season.
Meanwhile in Nelspruit, the Pumas and Sharks played out to a thrilling draw in their fifth-round encounter on Saturday, with both sides crossing for six tries.
Jimmy Stonehouse's team – with Phiko Sobahle crossing for a hat-trick and Ross Braude for two tries – would probably feel this was one that got away after enjoying a healthy 27-8 lead at the break, while they also led 41-24 halfway through the second half.
Despite losing pivot Lionel Cronje for 10 minutes to a yellow card, JP Pietersen's visiting team clawed their way back to eventually lead 44-41 just before the end. However, the dependable Clinton Swart levelled matters on the stroke of fulltime for the Lowvelders through a penalty goal to share the spoils.
WP returned to winning ways with a hard-earned victory over a gritty Griffons team in Cape Town on Saturday. The hosts bounced back to earn the spoils following their defeat in last weekend’s North-South derby against the Bulls.
John Dobson’s men enjoyed a 29-17 advantage at the halfway stage and although the Northern Free State outfit failed to score any points after the break, the home side had to work very hard to claim the win.
In the end, the Capetonians bagged an important bonus-point victory which saw them staying within reach of the top four. After scoring his debut Carling Currie Cup try last week at Loftus, former Junior Springbok scrumhalf Imad Khan scored a brace as WP registered five tries to two in this important win.
The Lions scored six tries on their way to a deserved bonus point victory over hosts Griquas in Kimberley on Sunday, the last fixture of the round.
The team from Johannesburg made a good start and scored four tries as they went into the halftime break 24-14 in front. Both sides managed to score two tries each after the interval, which was enough for the Highvelders to bag the winning points.
Young flanker Renzo du Plessis played a blinder for the Gauteng outfit and he was rewarded with two tries for his eye-catching performance.
After five rounds, the Bulls consolidated their spot at top of the league with 21 points, three more than a chasing pack of three “big cats”, the defending champions Cheetahs, Lions and Pumas.
WP are five points adrift from the top four with 13 points, just one more than the Sharks on 12. Griquas slipped to one win in five games and the men from Kimberley now sit on eight points, six more than the winless Griffons.
In next weekend’s sixth round action, the Lions welcome the Pumas to the Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Saturday at 3pm, which is followed by two more fixtures. The Bulls host the Griffons from 5.05pm in Pretoria, while WP face the Cheetahs in a 7.10pm meeting in Cape Town. On Sunday, the Sharks will host Griquas from 3pm in Durban.
Scores
Toyota Cheetahs 34 (3), Vodacom Bulls 34 (10)
Toyota Cheetahs – Tries: Friedle Olivier, Cohen Jasper, Munier Hartzenberg, Carl Wegner, Vernon Paulo. Conversions: Ethan Wentzel (2), Reinhardt Fortuin. Penalty: Wentzel.
Vodacom Bulls – Tries: Aphiwe Dyantyi (2), Nizaam Carr, Zak Burger. Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (2), Boeta Chamberlain (2). Penalties: Van der Walt, Chamberlain.
Airlink Pumas 44 (27), Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 44 (8)
Airlink Pumas – Tries: Phiko Sobahle (3), Eduan Swart, Ross Braude (2). Conversions: Clinton Swart (4). Penalties: Clinton Swart (2).
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV – Tries: Eduan Keyter, Jaco Williams, Litelihle Bester, Jannes Potgieter, Nick Hatton, Daniel Jooste. Conversions: Lionel Cronje (2), Bradley Davids (2). Penalties: Cronje, Davids.
DHL Western Province 39 (29), NovaVit Griffons 17 (17)
DHL Western Province – Tries: Imad Khan (2), Paul de Villiers, Damian Markus (2). Conversions: Clayton Blommetjies (3), Khan. Penalties: Blommetjies (2).
NovaVit Griffons - Tries: Qamani Kota, Gurshwin Wehr. Conversions: Kota (2). Penalty: Kota.
Suzuki Griquas 28 (14), Fidelity ADT Lions 36 (24)
Suzuki Griquas – Tries: Zane Bester, Cameron Hufke, Conner Mahoney, Tertius Kruger. Conversions: Lubabalo Dobela (4).
Fidelity ADT Lions - Tries: Renzo du Plessis (2), Jaco Visagie, Morgan Naude, Jarod Cairns, Nico Steyn. Conversions: Sam Francis, Gianni Lombard, Zander du Plessis.
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