The Griquas confirmed their home final status by beating the Toyota Cheetahs 39-17 in Bloemfontein in one of two games played on Friday.

In the other Friday match, the Pumas made sure of their place in the final when they defeated NovaVit Griffons 43-14 at the Mbombela Stadium.

Unbeaten Griquas finished top of the log with 45 points and with that, they earned the right to host the final against second-placed Pumas, who finished second on 41 points.

In the two fixtures played on Saturday, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers won their final outing 48-40 against Eastern Province, while Leopards scored a superb 45-31 away win over the Phangela SWD Eagles in George.

In the last fixture of the weekend, Valke defeated Border 38-14 in East London.

The weekend results saw the Griffons holding on to their third spot on the log with 35 points, three more than the fourth-placed Cheetahs. The Kavaliers finished fifth on 27 points, and they are followed by the Valke (18 points), Leopards (16), SWD Eagles, EP (both on 14), and winless Border.

SA Rugby will confirm the SA Cup Final kick-off time on Monday.

Griquas clinch home final with victory over Cheetahs

The Suzuki Griquas defeated Toyota Cheetahs 39-17 at Shimla Park in Bloemfontein in one of the two Friday matches with the result handing them the hosting right for next weekend’s SA Cup Final in Kimberley.

The Peacock Blues had a slender 15-10 lead at the break, but they managed to pull away from the Free Staters in the second half to make sure they finished the round-robin phase unbeaten.

Pieter Bergh’s side scored 5 tries, four conversions, and a drop goal while the side from Bloemfontein replied with two converted tries and a penalty.

Fullback Cameron Hufke dotted down twice for the Griquas while stalwart flyhalf George Whitehead succeeded with three conversions, a penalty goal, and a drop goal.

Former Springbok scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar scored two conversions and a penalty goal in his very last competitive match for the Cheetahs, having announced his retirement from the game after this fixture following a stellar career with amongst others, the Cheetahs and the Springboks.

Right-wing Daniel Kasende and utility back replacement Rewan Kruger each scored a try for the hosts.

Scorers:

Toyota Cheetahs (10) 17 – Tries: Daniel Kasende, Rewan Kruger. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar. Penalty goal: Pienaar.

Suzuki Griquas (15) 39 – Tries: Cameron Hufke (2), Janco Uys,Sako Makata, Stephan Smit. Conversions: George Whitehead (3), Lubabalo Dobela. Penalty goal: Whitehead. Drop goal: Whitehead.

Pumas down Griffons to secure final spot

The Airlink Pumas secured their place in next week’s SA Cup final against Suzuki Griquas courtesy of their 43-14 win over the NovaVit Griffons Friday at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

The Lowvelders scored five tries, a penalty try, four conversions, and a penalty goal, while the Northern Free Staters replied with two converted tries.

Hooker Darnell Osuagwu dotted down twice for the Pumas while fly-half Clinton Swart slotted three conversions and a penalty goal.

Ludio Williams (No 8) and Randy Fillies (left wing) were the Griffons’ try scorers, with fly-half Danrich Visagie succeeding with both conversions.

Scorers:

Airlink Pumas (17) 43 – Tries: Darnell Osuagwu (2), Ruwald van der Merwe, Kwanda Dimaza, Stefan Coetzee, Penalty Try. Conversions: Clinton Swart (3). Penalty goal: Swart.

Novavit Griffons (7) 14 – Tries: Ludio Williams, Randy Fillies. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (2).

Kavaliers on top in try-fest against gallant EP

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers scored seven tries as they clinched an exciting 48-40 win over a gallant Eastern Province side Saturday afternoon at Rhino Park in Piketberg.

The Kavaliers led 24-13 at halftime and while they went on to also dominate the scoring after halftime, they also had their hands full on defence as EP came storming back to finish the game with five tries.

Left-wing Gavern Skippers and outside center Xavier Mitchell each scored twice for the Kavaliers, who were also awarded a crucial penalty try, while pivot Darian Hock sent three conversion kicks through the upright.

Jay-dee Jooste, left-wing, ran in for two of Elephants’ tries, while the kicking boot of fullback Jayden Bantom ensured the visitors stayed in touch with the home side. Bantom converted two of the tries and he was also on target with three penalty goals.

Scorers:

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers (24) 48 – Tries: Gavern Skippers, Xavier Mitchell, Gerrit Bester, Marlyn Williams, Carl Francois Truter, Penalty Try. Conversions: Darian Hock (3).

Eastern Province (13) 40 – Tries: Jay-dee Jooste (2), Sherwin Slater, Aya Oliphant, Temba Boltina. Conversions: Jayden Bantom (2). Penalty goals: Bantom (3).

Leopards hunt down Eagles at Outeniqua Park

The Leopards finished the campaign on a high by beating the Phangela SWD Eagles 45-31 in their Saturday afternoon fixture played at Outeniqua Park in George.

The men from Potchefstroom enjoyed a 26-10 halftime lead and they comfortably secured a good away win by scoring 7 tries to 5 in the end. No 8 Henro-Pierre Swart grabbed two of the five tries, while playmaker Charles Williams made a personal contribution of 15 points through a try and five conversions.

Right-wing Rosco Seyster had a good game for the Eagles as he added two conversions to his try.

Scorers:

Phangela SWD Eagles (10) 31 – Dian Basson, Sachin Toring, Mpho Ntsane, Rosco Syster, Clyde Lewis. Conversions: Deon Carstens, Syster.

Leopards (26) 45 – Tries: Henro-Pierre Swart (2), Chris Vermaak, Gilroy Philander, Tjaart Benade, Naiden Jaarts, Charles Williams. Conversions: Williams (5).

Valke swoop to victory over Border in East London

In Sunday’s last fixture of the round, the Valke scored six tries to two in their away clash with Border Bulldogs at Police Park in East London, having led 19-14 at halftime.

Scrumhalf Luciano Elias went over twice for the Valke while flyhalf Sergio Stalmeester also scored a five-pointer in addition to his four conversions.

Border scrumhalf Merlin du Plessis converted his teams’ two tries scored through Chuma Biyana (No 8) and Ryan Maree (outside center).

Scorers:

Border (14) 14 – Tries: Chuma Biyana, Ryan Maree. Conversions: Merlin du Plessis (2).

Valke (19) 38 – Tries: Luciano Elias (2), Eddie Evans, Zander van der Merwe, Sergio Stalmeester, Valentino Wellman. Conversions: Stalmeester (4).

The post Suzuki Griquas And Airlink Pumas To Contest Inaugural SA Cup Final appeared first on NRI News.

With two rounds remaining, this 31-26 victory put Suzuki Griquas on the inside lane to host a home final.

The match in Kimberley on Friday afternoon was a thrilling encounter, and Suzuki Griquas staged a dramatic comeback to snatch victory in the 81^st minute from the visitors from Mbombela.

The match kicked off with an early try from the Airlink Pumas within five minutes of the game. The first half largely favored the visitors, who led 16-3 just before halftime. However, a timely try right before the break injected hope into the hosts’ camp.

A rejuvenated Suzuki Griquas side dominated the second half, taking the lead 17-16 on the 57th-minute mark. Yet, their advantage was short-lived as the Airlink Pumas quickly reclaimed the lead.

The hosts found themselves trailing by two points with time up on the clock but a remarkable try by Cameron Hufke sealed the victory and secured the top spot.

In the first match on Saturday, the Phangela SWD Eagles hosted the NovaVit Griffons, with the latter clinching a crucial 36-28 victory on the road.

Despite maintaining their third-place position on the log, the Griffons closed the gap to just one point behind the Pumas. Both the teams from Mpumalanga and the Northern Free State must secure wins in the last two rounds to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the Eagles have slipped to seventh on the log.

Meanwhile, at the Leeudoringstad Rugby Klub, the Leopards suffered their fourth defeat against a formidable Sanlam Boland Kavaliers team, who won by 59-26.

Spectators were treated to an impressive display as a total of 13 tries were scored, with the visitors bagging nine tries to the four of the hosts. This win kept Boland in fifth place, while the Leopards dropped to eighth.

The standout performance of the weekend came from the Toyota Cheetahs, who secured a resounding 68-17 victory over the Valke, scoring 10 tries to the Valke’s three.

Although this result didn’t alter the log, with the Cheetahs remaining in fourth place and the Valke in ninth, the Free Staters will remain hopeful for a final spot if they win their remaining games and one of the teams above them slips up.

In the final game of the weekend, Eastern Province claimed a 38-17 victory over the Border Bulldogs in their Eastern Cape derby, with EP fullback Mbembe Payi’s, hat-trick contributing to a comfortable bonus point win.

This triumph propelled Eastern Province up two places on the log, while the Bulldogs remain at the bottom, still seeking their first points of the season.

Scorers:

Suzuki Griquas 31 Airlink Pumas 26

Griquas – Tries: Thabo Ndimande, Cameron Hufke, Lubabalo Dobela. Conversions: George Whitehead (3) Penalty goal: George Whitehead.

Pumas – Tries: Ross Braude, Theuns Pretorius. Conversions: Clinton Swart (2). Penalty goals: Clinton Swart (4).

Phangela SWD Eagles 28 NovaVit Griffons 36

SWD – Tries: Heinrich Roelfse, Mpho Ntsane, JP Duvenage, Sachin Toring. Conversions: Joshua Vermeulen (4).

Griffons – Tries: Micheal Benadie, Thomas Ongera, obbie Petzer, Domenic Smit, Dandre Delport. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (4). Penalty goal: Visagie.

Leopards 26 Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 59

Leopards – Tries: Mncedisi Dlwengu (2), Sanele Zungu, Charles Williams. Conversions: Charles Williams (3).

Boland – Tries: Thurlow Marsh, Bentley Geldenhuys (5), Xavier Mitchell, Riaan Louw, Gavern Skippers. Conversions: Garth April (7).

Valke 17 Toyota Cheetahs 68

Valke – Tries: Godfrey Muzanargwo, Anrich Richter (2). Conversion: Sergio Stalmeester.

Cheetahs – Tries: Marnus van der Merwe, Mzwanele Zito, Sibabalo Qoma, Munier Hartzenberg (2), Sbu Nkosi, Tapiwa Mafura, Rethabile Mzamo (2). Conversions: Andell Loubser (9).

Eastern Province 38 Border Bulldogs 17

Eastern Provine – Tries: Temba Boltina, Mbembe Payi (3), Aya Oliphant, Luxolo Koza. Conversions: Darryle Kameel (2) Ruben de Vos (2).

Border – Try: Lwandile Mapuko. Penalty goals: Merlin du Plessis (4).

The post Suzuki Griquas on track to host SA Cup Final appeared first on NRI News.