The Currie Cup weekend …

The Golden Lions ended the first round on top of the log after seeing off the Sharks. It was the Golden Lions’ sixth win from their first seven matches and they move up to 27 log points, five ahead of Western Province and The Sharks. Just one point behind the two coastal sides are Griquas, who fought back with two late tries to win their central derby against the Cheetahs. In the First Division, EP and Boland have put daylight between them and the chasing pack of teams in a competition that is now truly a two team race.

Leopards 20 (3) Blue Bulls 28 (9)

The Blue Bulls could not replicate their good performance from a week ago and although they tried hard, they could not score a fourth try for a bonus point. Rather, it was the Leopards who crossed the try line late in the match to close the gap on the score board.

The Blue Bulls were stronger in the lineouts and scrums, but could not capitalise on this as unforced errors at the back cost them valuable attacking momentum. The Leopards tackled like tigers, but also conceded a number of penalties on defence.

Leopards – Tries: George Tossel, Jovan Bowles, Joubert Engelbrecht. Conversion: Tossel. Penalty: Tossel.

Blue Bulls – Tries: Warwick Tecklenburg, CJ Stander, Werner Kruger. Conversions: Louis Fouche (2). Penalties: Fouche (3).

Pumas 13 (3) Western Province 24 (14)

It wasn’t their best performance of the season, but WP still left the Puma Stadium in Witbank with four valuable log points. WP could only score three tries against a side that came back from last weekend’s heavy defeat to the Cheetahs with a much more composed performance, but the visitors’ discipline also let them down, with Conrad Jantjes and Nick Koster spending time in the sin bin.

Pumas – Tries: Hendrik van der Nest, JP Mostert. Penalty: Coenie van Wyk.

Western Province – Tries: Johann Sadie, JJ Engelbrecht, Dewaldt Duvenage. Conversions: Demetri Catrakilis (3). Penalty: Catrakilis.

Griquas 23 (9) Cheetahs 20 (14)

Halfway through the second half, it looked like the Free Staters were going to record a good away win in their neighbours’ back yard, but two late tries, by Riaan Viljoen and Jean Stemmet, put Griquas ahead – a lead they never relinquished.

Both tries were superb solo efforts, although the second looked like it might have resulted because of some crossing by the Griquas players, while the Cheetahs had to defend with only 14 men, as prop Marcel van der Merwe was sitting in the sin bin. It proved the difference in a hard fought derby where the team from Bloemfontein did everything to win the game, but failed to do so.

Griquas – Tries: Riaan Viljoen, Jean Stemmet. Conversions: Earl Rose (2). Penalties: Rudi Vogt (3)

Cheetahs – Tries: Sias Ebersohn, Pieter van Zyl. Conversions: Sias Ebersohn (2). Penalties: Sias Ebersohn (2).

Golden Lions 28 (19) The Sharks 19 (9)

It was the Elton Jantjies show at the Coke Can – the Lions flyhalf Jantjies produced a flawless kicking display as he landed all eight his kicks at goal for a personal contribution of 23 points, that had most of the almost 32,000 spectators smiling at the end of the game. Apart from his superb display with the boot, Jantjies also produced the goods on the attack, keeping the Sharks guessing with a number of good runs, one of which lead to Mapoe’s try in the first half

Where The Sharks, the current defending champions, struggled to get their hands on the ball in the first half, it was a different story after the break, but the home team’s defence held out as they won an entertaining match.

Lions – Try: Lionel Mapoe. Conversion: Elton Jantjies. Penalties: Jantjies (7).

The Sharks – Try: Stefan Terblanche. Conversion: Frederic Michalak. Penalties: Michalak (3).

Premier Division Log

Absa Currie Cup First Division

SWD 24 (10) EP 60 (22)

Eagles – Tries: Elric van Vuuren (2), Connie Botha. Conversions: Van Vuuren (3). Penalty: Van Vuuren.

EP– Tries: SP Marais (4), Mathew Tayler-Smith, Norman Nelson (2), Frank Herne, Luke Watson. Conversions: Louis Strydom (4), Marais (2). Penalty: Strydom.

Border 15 (5) Boland 36 (22)

Border – Tries: Ian Fihlani, Ntabeni Dukisa. Conversion: Dukisa. Penalty: Dukisa.

Boland – Tries: Willie le Roux, Brendon April (2), Ashton Constant, Danwel Delmas, PJ Vermeulen. Conversions: Elgar Watts (3).

Griffons 46 (26) Valke 21 (7)

Griffons – Tries: Tertius Maarman (2), Ricardo Pietersen, Phillip vd Walt, Jaco Meyer. Conversions: Tiaan van Wyk (3). Penalties: Van Wyk (4). Dropped goal: Van Wyk.

Valke – Tries: Sino Ganto, Kyle Hendricks, Coert Cronje. Conversions: Hendricks (2), Martin Thomsen.

First Division Log