Griquas kept their Currie Cup hopes alive with a five pointer at Wellington on Friday. The visitors from Kimberley beat the Boland Kavaliers 31-23 after leading 21-9 at halftime. The match was by no means a spectacle, but Griquas did enough to win more comfortably than the final score suggests.  For the Kavaliers it was an improved effort, but still not good enough at this level. The Griquas pack was solid throughout with No 8 Jonathan Mokuena, flanker Rohan Kitshoff and lock Jacques Lombaard prominent.

The Lions stayed on course to reach the semi-finals of the Currie Cup with a solid 31-13 win over the Leopards at Coca-Cola Park on Friday night. The Lions scored five tries to one against a Leopards side which seemed strangely subdued before the break.  The visitors were disappointing in the first half – especially considering their two good performances in trouncing the Boland Cavaliers and then losing 34-33 to Griquas last weekend.

The Free State Cheetahs rounded off a magnificent second-half fightback to run-out close-shave 33-31 victors over Western Province in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon. Just when it seemed the Cape Town visitors would sneak in with a 31-26 win, the Cheetahs were awarded a penalty try in the final minute of the match to level scores at 31-all.  However, Cheetahs flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter added the conversion to secure a thrilling 33-31 victory in a match which was  a brilliant advertisement for South African rugby.

Juan Marin Hernandez scored 24 points as the Sharks, behind at the break, came back with a stirring performance in the second half that saw them edge the Blue Bulls 29-23 in an exciting match at Loftus on Saturday. It was the Blue Bulls’ third defeat in as many outings and they now cling precariously to fifth place on the log – thanks to bonus points – after the Free State Cheetahs’ win against Western Province.  It was also the Blue Bulls’ second defeat to the Sharks in the competition, giving them a record of just five wins from their 10 matches in this season’s Currie Cup.

Source + Pic: sarugby.com

Tags: blue bulls, boland kavaliers, cheetahs, griquas, leopards, lions, sharks, western province