With a week of league action left, five teams have already booked their places in the Vodacom Cup quarter-finals. A WRAP of the weekend’s action.
The Pumas and Blue Bulls in the North Section, and the Sharks, Western Province and Pampas in the South Section are conformed quarter finalists.
Three teams will fight it out for the last two playoff spots in the North – the Leopards, Griquas and Lions. And in the South, the final place in the top four will more than likely go to EP, but Free State have a chance of sneaking in.
On Friday evening, the Lions kept their chances of reaching the quarter-finals alive by beating pace-setters Pumas, 23-14 in Nelspruit. It was an inspired performance with their flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff contributing 13 points through a flawless kicking display, which included a drop-goal. Flankers Jaco Kriel and Derick Minnie, who will tour with The Sharks to Australasia in the next month, scored the visitors’ tries.
EP reversed a 12-point half-time deficit to beat the Sharks 27-23 in PE, all but assuring themselves a place in the quarter-finals. They scored three tries in the second half in handing the Sharks their first defeat of the season.
Also in the South Section, Border ended their losing spell when they beat Boland 26-25 in East London. The difference was a late penalty goal by Karlo Aspeling after both teams had scored three tries apiece.
The Pampas managed to fend off a spirited second-half fightback by Free State to win a thrilling encounter 38-32 in Stellenbosch, while Western Province got a bonus-point in their 34-27 win over the SWD in the Strand.
In the North Section, Griquas stretched their winning streak over the Leopards to 8 matches by winning an entertaining match 32-26 in Kimberley. The result saw the Northern Cape team move to fourth on the log, while the Leopards dropped down to third on the standings.
The Blue Bulls destroyed their inept northern brothers 110-0 in Lephalale with flyhalf Willie du Plessis scoring a ridiculous 40 points in the process – including converting 15 of his team’s 16 tries. That is the men from Far North’s fourth defeat by more than 100 points this season!
The Griffons kept their slim hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive thanks to a hard-earned 17-6 win over the Valke in Welkom.
All the scorers:
EP 27 (3) Sharks 23 (15)
EP – Tries: Ntabeni Dukisa, Siyanda Grey, Stefan Willemse. Conversions: Dukisa, Kayle van Zyl (2). Penalties: Dukisa, Van Zyl.
Sharks – Try: Guy Alexander. Penalties: Fred Zeilinga (6).
Pampas 38 (28) Free State 32 (10)
Pampas– Tries: Manuel Montero (2), Rodrigo Bruno, Tomas Cubelli, Facundo Barrea (2). Penalties: Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias. Conversions: Iglesias (5).
Free State – Tries: Boom Prinsloo (3), Sethu Tom, Nico Scheepers. Conversions: Elgar Watts (2). Penalties: Watts.
Griquas 32 (19) Leopards 26 (7)
Griquas – Tries: Marnus Schoeman, Jean Stemmet, Jacques Coetzee, Leon Karemaker. Conversions: Pieter-Steyn de Wet (3). Penalty: De Wet. Drop goal: De Wet.
Leopards – Tries: André Pretorius, Hennie Skorbinski, MB Lusaseni, Robert Kruger. Conversions: Pretorius (3).
WP 34 (20) SWD 27 (13)
WP – Tries: Rayn Smid, Sikhumbizo Notshe, Berton Klaasen, Kobus van Wyk. Conversions: Kurt Coleman (4). Penalties: Coleman (2).
SWD – Tries: Alshaun Bock, Clinton Wagman, Ghafoer Luckman, Christo du Plessis. Conversions: Jeff Taljard (2). Penalty: Taljard.
Limpopo Blue Bulls 0 Blue Bulls 110 (47)
Blue Bulls – Tries: Ruan Snyman (2), Wiaan Liebenberg, Dean Greyling (2), Clayton Blommetjies, Hencus van Wyk, Travis Ismaiel (2), Sampie Mastriet, Cournall Skosan (2), Willie du Plessis (2), Rohan Jansen van Rensburg, Nardus van der Walt. Conversions: Du Plessis (15).
Pumas 14 (0) Lions 23 (10)
Pumas – Tries: Rosco Speckman, Frankie Herne. Conversions: Carl Bezuidenhout, Coenie van Wyk.
Lions – Tries: Derick Minnie, Jaco Kriel. Conversions: Marnitz Boshoff (2). Penalties: Boshoff (2). Drop goal: Boshoff.
Griffons 17 (7) Valke 6 (6)
Griffons – Tries: Oshwill Nortje, Vuyo Mbotho. Conversions: Hansie Graaff (2). Penalty: Graaf.
Valke – Penalties Jaun Kotze (2).
Border 26 (12) Boland 25 (10)
Border– Tries: Joe Seerane, Dean Muir, Kwezi Mkhafu. Conversion: Dale Sabbagh. Penalties: Karlo Aspeling (3)
Boland– Tries: Braam Gerber, Ulrich Pretorius (2). Conversions: Ricardo Croy (2). Penalties: Croy (2)
