7 Of the 8 Vodacom Cup quarter-finalists have cemented their positions in the playoffs, with 3 teams in the North Section still in the hunt for the final position amongst the pace-setters.
Victories to the SWD Eagles and GWK Griquas, coupled with a defeat to the Cell C Sharks XV, means the Top 4 teams in the South Section have been determined.
The unbeaten DHL Western Province will host 1 of the quarter-finals in Cape Town after they beat the Toyota Free State XV by 30 / 29 in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon.
GWK Griquas, 27 / 24 victors over the KwaZulu-Natalians in Pietermaritzburg, cemented their 2nd spot on the Log, while the Eagles’ 36 / 17 win over the Border Bulldogs in Albertinia on Saturday afternoon means they will contest their 2nd successive Vodacom Cup quarter-final.
In the final South Section match, the EP Kings returned to winning ways in Citrusdal when they beat the Boland Cavaliers by 44 / 10.
Meanwhile, the Vodacom Blue Bulls and Xerox Golden Lions – with 8 Vodacom Cup titles between them – have sewn up the Top 2 in the North Section and will host their quarter-final encounters.
The Steval Pumas, who had a bye this week, will finish 3rd while 5 Log Points separate the Leopards XV, Hino Valke and Down Touch Griffons, 1 of whom will clinch 4th in the North Section.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls recorded the biggest win of the season when they beat the Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls by 83 / 13 in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.
The Leopards XV put themselves in a good position to reach the quarter-finals with a big 59 / 12 win over the Down Touch Griffons in Hartbeesfontein on Saturday afternoon, while the Hino Valke’s 45 / 7 win over the FNB Welwitschias in Windhoek on Friday evening means they still have a slim chance of reaching the playoffs.
Match Reports:
FNB Welwitschias 7 / 45 Hino Valke:
The Hino Valke won only their 2nd game in this year’s Vodacom Cup competition by beating the FNB Welwitschias by 45 / 7 in the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek on Friday evening.
With both sides finding themselves near the bottom of the Log in the North Section, the East Randers’ bonus-point victory kept alive their slim chance of making the Top 4 and qualifying for the quarter-finals.
The Hino Valke completely dominated the 1st half and ran in no less than 6 tries before the break in pretty much a 1-sided affair. As was the case a couple of weeks ago, Valke scrumhalf Anrich Richter was superb, running in 2 tries in the 1st 40 minutes. The visitors’ wing Riaan Arends echoed that performance by also dotting down twice before the halftime whistle.
Scorers:
FNB Welwitschias:
- Tries: Johan Tromp (1)
- Conversions: Michael Kaizemi (1)
Hino Valke:
- Tries: Ernst Ladendorf (1), Anrich Richter (2), Riaan Arends (2), Willie Odendaal (1), Friddle de Wet (1)
- Conversions: Juan Kotze (5)
Toyota Free State XV 29 / 30 DHL Western Province:
DHL Western Province flyhalf Robert du Preez played a key role as the Capetonians remained unbeaten in the Vodacom Cup with a 30 / 29 (halftime 17 / 3) victory over the Toyota Free State XV at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The DHL Western Province pivot, who kicked 21 points, played a vital role in 2 of the visitors’ 3 tries as the men from Cape Town desperately hung on for a 1-point win that extended their lead at the Top of the South Section Log to 6 points, which has guaranteed their place at the summit with just 1 league match remaining.
The Free Staters picked up 2 points for finishing within 7 points and scoring 4 tries to ensure they remain amongst the top sides on the Log with the quarter-finals creeping closer.
Scorers:
Toyota Free State XV:
- Tries: Henco Venter (1), Teunis Nieuwoudt (1), Maphutha Dolo (1), Reuben Johannes (1)
- Conversions: Neil Marais (2), Noel Marx (1)
- Penalties: Neil Marais (1)
DHL Western Province:
- Tries: Kyle Lombard (1), Tshotsho Mbovane (1), EW Viljoen (1)
- Conversions: Robert du Preez (3)
- Penalties: Robert du Preez (3)
Leopards XV 59 / 12 Down Touch Griffons:
The Leopards XV ran in 8 tries as they thumped the Down Touch Griffons 59 / 12 (halftime 21 / 0) in their Vodacom Cup North Section match at Hartbeesfontein on Saturday.
Left wing Adri Jacobs crossed for 2 tries while inside centre Adriaan Engelbrecht ended with 24 points after scoring a try and kicking 5 conversions and a penalty goal as the Leopards XV returned to winning ways after a heavy 63 / 10 loss at the hands of the Xerox Golden Lions in their previous match.
The victory means the team from Potchefstroom moved into the Top 4 on the North Section Log with 1 league match remaining, displacing the Down Touch Griffons amongst the play-off contenders.
Scorers:
Leopards XV:
- Tries: Francois Robertse (1), Jaco Hayward (1), Kobus du Plessis (1), Adi Jacobs (2), Adriaan Engelbrecht (1), Myburgh Briers (1), Molotsi Bouwer (1)
- Conversions: Adriaan Engelbrecht (8)
- Penalties: Adriaan Engelbrecht (1)
Down Touch Griffons:
- Tries: Nicky Steyn (2)
- Conversions: Wynand Pienaar (1)
SWD Eagles 36 / 17 Border Bulldogs:
Zandre Jordaan scored a brace of tries as the SWD Eagles picked up a bonus-point 36 / 17 (halftime 22 / 9) Vodacom Cup victory over the Border Bulldogs in Albertinia on Saturday.
The home side scored 5 tries to 1 as they confirmed their place in the Top 4 with 1 league match remaining. The SWD Eagles are now 7 points clear of the EP Kings in 5th place.
The Eagles have a difficult encounter in their final league match when they travel to Cape Town to play the table-topping and undefeated DHL Western Province while the Bulldogs end off their Vodacom Cup campaign with a home match against the Boland Cavaliers and will be attempting to avoid the wooden spoon.
Scorers:
SWD Eagles:
- Tries: Zandre Jordaan (2), Johannes Stander (1), Kirsten Ralph Heyns (1), Alshaun Bock (1)
- Conversions: Elric van Vuuren (4)
- Penalties: Elric van Vuuren (1)
Border Bulldogs:
- Tries: Ayabonga Nomboyo (1)
- Penalties: Masixole Banda (4)
Boland Cavaliers 10 / 44 EP Kings:
The EP Kings turned on the style in the 2nd half as they recorded a 44 / 10 (halftime 19 / 10) victory over the Boland Cavaliers in their Vodacom Cup match at the Central Sports Grounds in Citrusdal on Saturday afternoon.
Going into the encounter both teams had only recorded a solitary victory each in the competition. The Cavaliers had conceded 50 points in both their last 2 matches while the Kings had lost their way against the SWD Eagles last week.
Scorers:
Boland Cavaliers:
- Tries: Granville Adams (1)
- Conversions: Granville Adams (1)
- Penalties: Granville Adams (1)
EP Kings:
- Tries: Aidon Davis (3), Siviwe Soyizwapi (1), Eital Bredenkamp (1), Hansie Graaff (1), Dylon Frylinck (1)
- Conversions: Hansie Graaff (3)
- Penalties: Hansie Graaff (1)
Cell C Sharks XV 24 / 27 GWK Griquas:
GWK Griquas overcame a 9-point halftime deficit on their way to a hard-fought 27 / 24 (halftime 8 / 17) win over the Cell C Sharks XV in their Vodacom Cup South Section match at the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
The visitors also found themselves 24 / 15 down with just 10 minutes of the match left but they turned in a storming finish as they grabbed 2 tries, 1 of which was converted, in the space of 5 minutes to move to 2nd on the South Section Log standings.
It was a heart-breaking finish for the Cell C Sharks XV, who topped the South Section log the last 2 seasons, as they lost their 4th match of the season and won’t feature in the play-offs this season.
Scorers:
Cell C Sharks XV:
- Tries: Tonderai Chavhanga (1), Khaya Majola (1), Marius Louw (1)
- Conversions: Cameron Wright (3)
- Penalties: Cameron Wright (3)
GWK Griquas:
- Tries: Ederies Arendse (1), Jono Janse van Rensburg (1), Ntabeni Dukisa (1), Rocco Jansen (1)
- Conversions: Dean Grant (2)
- Penalties: Gouws Prinsloo (1)
Vodacom Blue Bulls 83 / 13 Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls:
The Vodacom Blue Bulls delivered a superb performance as they crushed the Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls by 83 / 13 (24 / 10 halftime) at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.
The home team scored 12 tries to 1, with Travis Ismaiel, Jamba Ulengo, Roelof Smit and William Small-Smith crossing for a brace of tries each. 8 Of the Vodacom Blue Bulls’ tries came in a 2nd half where they ran riot and scored 59 points.
Scorers:
Vodacom Blue Bulls:
- Tries: Nqoba Mxoli (1), Kobus Marais (1), Travis Ismaiel (2), Jamba Ulengo (2), Roelof Smit (2), Kefentse Mahlo (1), Marquit September (1), William Small-Smith (2)
- Conversions: Kobus Marais (7), Josh Stander (3)
- Penalties: Kobus Marais (1)
Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls:
- Tries: Fanie Raseroka (1)
- Conversions: Anton Beswick (1)
- Penalties: Anton Beswick (2)