Griquas, Pumas set the SA Cup pace as race hots up for Currie Cup spots

The unbeaten duo of the Pumas and Griquas have been dominating the SA Cup, but a chasing pack are desperate to secure a place in the top four to ensure qualification for the Currie Cup Premier Division.

Only one match is scheduled for Friday, when Griquas host Eastern Province in Kimberley at 3pm. The defending champions Griquas are in rampant form and are heavy favourites to extend their remarkable winning streak, which has seen them win all matches so far since the start of the competition last year.

Saturday’s full programme of four games – all of which start at 3pm – will see the Border Bulldogs hosting the Kavaliers in East London; the Leopards facing the Pumas in Potchefstroom; the Cheetahs welcoming SWD Eagles to Bloemfontein; and the Valke entertaining the Griffons in what promises to be an enthralling encounter in Kempton Park.

With only a third of the league phase remaining, a fierce race is developing below the Griquas and Pumas for the remaining two qualifying spots for the Currie Cup Premier Division.

Last year's inaugural champions, Griquas, and beaten finalists, Pumas, lead the chase with 25 league points each from their five bonus-point wins.

The next bunch of teams will find it challenging to dislodge them from the top two spots. As things stand, the Griffons are in third place with 18 points, just one point ahead of the Cheetahs.

In turn, the Free Staters are two points clear of the Kavaliers and Valke, both on 15 points, while EP have 12 points.

Coach Pieter Bergh's Griquas team should have too much firepower for the Elephants.

The Northern Cape outfit have amassed a staggering 346 points in their five matches, averaging 69.2 points per game, while their tight defence has conceded only 94 points, or an average of 19.2 points per game.

Their powerful pack and efficient backline have combined to deliver high try-scoring results.

It's no wonder Griquas have the three leading try scorers to date in Dylan Maart and Gurshwin Wehr, each with nine tries, as well as prolific hooker Gustav du Rand with eight.

They also lead the tournament with 52 tries, 26 of which were converted by ace kicker George Whitehead.

Elsewhere, the Kavaliers will seek an immediate reaction on Saturday against Border at Police Park in East London following their close-fought away loss to Griquas in the previous round.

The Bulldogs are anchored at the bottom of the league table with no wins in five attempts and suffered a heavy defeat to the high-flying Pumas last weekend in Nelspruit.

The Leopards, with former Springbok and England assistant coach Matt Proudfoot back at the helm, face a rampant Pumas outfit.

Jimmy Stonehouse’s men are almost matching Griquas in the try-scoring stakes, with 51 tries in five games, with Danrich Visagie (22) and Clinton Swart (19) sharing the successful conversion kicks for the Mpumalanga outfit.

In Bloemfontein, a confident Cheetahs, coached by former Springbok World Cup winner Frans Steyn, welcome the SWD Eagles.

The Free Staters’ hard-fought derby win over the Griffons has propelled them back into semi-final contention, and they know that any slip-up will damage their qualification hopes.

The Griffons will be eager to put their Free State derby loss behind them as they seek to consolidate their third spot on the league table.

JP Immelman’s Valke have also won three games – the same number as their Northern Free State opponents – but are separated by three league points in the standings.

Defeat will also be a big blow to the East Randers’ top four aspirations.