Western Province and the Sharks are top of the Currie Cup Log after two compelling victories over the Griquas and the Lions

The 50-3 drubbing of Griquas on their home ground, where Western Province had lost the past two seasons, saw the Kimberley side drop to fourth log position behind the Bulls who narrowly beat the Leopards 43-38 at Loftus.

The Free State’s challenge is still intact after their 45-30 win over the Pumas, and the Sharks remained two points behind Province with a convincing 48-19 win over the Lions in Durban.

Western Province, scoring their first try in only the 46th minute, eventually scored six five-pointers as the home side had no answer after turning to play into the wind in the second half.

Griquas had the better of the first half territorially, but didn’t have much to offer behind the scrum — and WP initially stayed in front courtesy of the Griquas mistakes and the unerring boot of flyhalf Willem de Waal, who was playing in his 100th Currie Cup match and contributed another 20 points to the total.

The WP backline looked sharp and penetrative after the break, but it was their interplay and also their patience in building phases that led to Griquas’ challenge and resolve wilting.

Griquas have a lot to ponder and rectify. WP on the other hand seem to be ready for this coming weekend’s clash against the Bulls, who were good for about 30 minutes in their 43-28 win over a determined and at times very good Platinum Leopards side at Loftus.

** The Bulls started slowly, whittled away the 10-0 Leopards lead to later control at 33-10, and then lost concentration as they allowed the game to become loose and their tackling average. At the end, the Blue Bulls had to hold on for dear life as Leopards came back to 43-38.

Allowing bottom-of-the-log Leopards five tries was indeed a boost for the visitors to Loftus, and while the six Bulls tries were very good, they know that there is work to do before the North-South clash at Newlands this weekend.

However, as Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke summed it up afterwards: there’s nothing that cannot be fixed in a week.

For the Leopards there is the knowledge that they can indeed tackle the more glamorous sides.

** The Sharks were in total control from the first whistle against the Lions in a match they won 48-19 in Durban. The main impressions from this match were that the Lions will have to get more possession to allow their running game to become effective, and that the Sharks are a formidable side — with a question mark however in converting their nearly 80% possession into tries other than intercepts or long-range turnovers.

Patrick Lambie added another 28 points to his early Currie Cup record and was impressive other than for three handling errors, and Keegan Daniel is playing the rugby of his life. It is time that Lwasi Mvovo and the Bulls’ Gerhard van den Heever get the recognition they deserve at a higher level. With a rejuvenated JP Pietersen they are the best wings the country has at present.

** The Pumas were as always competitive, but in the end it was the classier Free State Cheetahs handling and the Pumas’ dropped passes that saw an initial challenge from the home side disappear to a victory of 45-30 that was much easier than the scoreboard suggests with two of their three tries coming in the last ten minutes when the win had been sealed.

Six tries to the winners and three to the home side nevertheless made this a pleasant although not high-quality match — but the Cheetahs will be happy that they are back on the winning track after their loss to the Sharks last weekend.

** In the First Division, the Griffons had their third successive close loss when they went down 22-20 to the Border Bulldogs in East London. An immediate Griffons about-turn is necessary to keep their chances of making the play-offs alive – even at this early stage.

Trailing 13-0 at the break all seemed to be lost for the home side who then scored three tries in the second half. Thembani Mkokeli scored the equaliser two minutes from time and Jeffrey Taljaard converted for a victory built on good defence and resolve.

In Port Elizabeth, the EP Kings were not at their best but still simply in a different class to the Valke who have now suffered 22 successive defeats — most of them by huge margins. The score of 38-3 should have been closer to the century mark, but poor handling cost the Kings in a game that was rarely a match.

In the other First Division encounter, the SWD Eagles fought back from a 26-24 deficit at the break to clinch their encounter against the Boland Cavaliers in George 45-36.

The difference in the try-fest, with both sides scoring five tries, was the four SWD penalties to Boland’s one.