Currie Cup going down to the wire … again

The Currie Cup Premier Division – sponsored by DirectAxis Financial Services – is going down to the wire yet again and with only one round of the league phase left before the playoffs, five teams will be scrambling to determine how the top four finish.

Tafel Lager Griquas secured their first appearance in the semi-finals since 1998 with a good 27-23 win over DHL Western Province in Kimberley on Friday evening.

George Whitehead was the general for the men from Kimberley, while the rest of his team delivered a well-organised and physical performance as DHL Western Province made a number of handling errors and struggled in the scrum. The full match report and scorers can be found here.

On Saturday, the Toyota Free State Cheetahs had to dig deep, but in the end they had too much fuel in the tank as they outlasted the Phakisa Pumas by 43-37 in a high-scoring match in Nelspruit.

Eleven tries were scored at the Mbombela Stadium and as a result, the team from Bloemfontein moved up to second spot on the standings in the Currie Cup. Click here for a full match report.

And the Cell C Sharks kept alive their semi-final hopes in Johannesburg on Sunday as they beat the Xerox Golden Lions by 30-28, mainly thanks to better goal kicking as the home team outscored their coastal visitors by four tries to three.

Jeremy Ward scored two tries and Junior Springbok scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba contributed 15 points for the Cell C Sharks in this vital victory over the Xerox Golden Lions. Full match report and scorers here.

Jaguares XV top the table in the Currie Cup First Division

In the Currie Cup First Division – also sponsored by DirectAxis Financial Services – the Jaguares XV from Argentina secured top-spot on the log after their seventh straight victory of the season.

The Jaguares XV will host the Valke in Potchefstroom and the EP Elephants will travel to Welkom to face the Down Touch Griffons in the First Division semi-finals.

The final league matches were played this weekend and the South American topped the standings after winning all seven their pool encounters, while the Down Touch Griffons placed second on the log. The final times and venues for the two semi-finals will be confirmed in the week.

There was joy in Despatch on Saturday, as the EP Elephants secured their semi-final berth with a 22-14 win over the Valke.

Border ended their season on a high, beating the defending champions from George, the SWD Eagles, by 31-26 at Police Park in East London on Saturday.

Boland was left frustrated at the Transnet Saldanha Bay Stadium on Saturday, as they held a solid lead against the Down Touch Griffons, only to allow the Northern Free Staters to came back at them and earn a 20-20 draw.

For a wrap of all the First Division action as well as the scorers, click here.