Currie Cup Bulletin #20

The Toyota Cheetahs will continue the defence of their Carling Currie Cup crown when they travel to Johannesburg to face the table-topping Fidelity ADT Lions in the first semi-final at 14h30 on Saturday, with the second playoff taking place between Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks XV, from 17h00 in Pretoria.

The two winning teams will battle it out for the historic cup on Saturday, 21 September at 16h00. All games will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Over the past weekend, Suzuki Griquas started the action on a winning note when they defeated DHL Western Province 37-29 in Kimberley on Friday afternoon, after which the Fidelity ADT Lions consolidated their top spot on the log with a comfortable 62-5 triumph over the NovaVit Griffons in Johannesburg.

On Saturday, the Toyota Cheetahs clinched the last semi-final berth with a 41-14 win over the Airlink Pumas in Nelspruit, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV rounded off the league phase of the competition by beating the Vodacom Bulls 24-18 in Durban on Sunday.

Suzuki Griquas flyhalf Zinedine Robinson delivered a perfect kicking display when he succeeded with all four conversions and three penalty goals in their 39-30 win over DHL Western Province in Kimberley. The Cape side had a frustrating first half, which saw them losing several lineouts, hampering their momentum.

Playing in the second fixture on Friday, Fidelity ADT Lions turned on the style for a comfortable 62-5 victory over the NovaVit Griffons in Johannesburg. The Highvelders were already 31-0 ahead at the break and raced away to score 10 tries to one against their visitors from Welkom.

Four players from the home team, Jarod Cairns (No 8), Rabz Maxwane (left wing), Boldwin Hansen (right wing) and replacement loose forward JC Pretorius each scored twice, while flyhalf Kade Wolhuter was on target with six conversions. Their forwards laid a solid platform for the backline, who proved a threat throughout the game with their slick handling.

Saturday’s only match was a straight-forward knock-out fixture between the Airlink Pumas and the Toyota Cheetahs at the Mbombela Stadium, with the last semi-final spot on offer for the winner. It was the 2023 champions from Bloemfontein who emerged as 41-14 winners after scoring six tries to one, racing away in the second half after they held a slight 14-9 lead at the break.

Left wing Daniel Kasende crossed twice for the determined Free Staters, with flyhalf Ethan Wentzel adding three of the four successful conversions. The Toyota Cheetahs tightened the screws in the second half to ramp up pressure on the home side, who couldn't cope with the visitors’ intensity.

In the very last league match of the campaign, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV recorded their sixth win in seven games to defeat the Vodacom Bulls 24-18 in wet conditions in Durban on Sunday. The first half was a real arm wrestle and finished 8-7 in favour of the visitors.

Both sides scored two tries each, but it was Siya Masuku who proved to be the match winner on the day. The KZN flyhalf showed his class with an assured display of slick decision-making and accurate kicking off the tee as he slotted one conversion and four penalty goals for a personal contribution of 14 points.

Dylan Richardson (hooker) and Jordan Hendrikse (fullback) scored for the black and white jerseys, while Akker van der Merwe and (hooker) and Embrose Papier crossed the whitewash for the Pretoria outfit.

Following conclusion of the final league round, the Fidelity ADT Lions finished top of the log with 43 points from ten games. They were followed by the Vodacom Bulls (38 points), Hollywoodbets Sharks XV (35) and fellow semi-finalists Toyota Cheetahs (30).

Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas – finalists in 2022 – finished on 24 points each, while DHL WP ended their campaign on 20 points. The NovaVit Griffons could only collect three points in a winless campaign.

Match information: Carling Currie Cup playoffs:

Semi-final 1: Fidelity ADT Lions vs Toyota Cheetahs

Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Date: Saturday 14 September

Time: 14h30

TV: SS Rugby

Semi-final 2: Vodacom Bulls vs Hollywoodbets Sharks XV

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Date, Saturday 14 September

Time: 17h00

TV: SS Rugby

Final: Winner semi-final 1 vs Winner semi-final 2

Venue: Home ground of highest-placed semi-final winner

Date: Saturday 21 September

Time: 16h00

TV: SS Rugby

Scorers:

Suzuki Griquas 37 (20), DHL Western Province 29 (15)

Suzuki Griquas – Tries: Dylan Maart, Dylan Sjoblom, Marco de Witt, Bobby Alexander. Conversions: Zinedine Robinson (4). Penalty goals: Robinson (3).

DHL Western Province – Tries: Dan du Plessis (2), Marcel Theunissen, Damian Markus. Conversions: Jurie Mathee (3). Penalty goal: Mathee.

Fidelity ADT Lions 62 (31), NovaVit Griffons 5 (0)

Fidelity ADT Lions – Tries: Jarod Cairns (2), Renzo du Plessis, Rabz Maxwane (2), Boldwin Hansen (2), JC Pretorius (2), Darrien Landsberg. Conversions: Kade Wolhuter (6).

Novavit Griffons – Try: Willem van den Heever.

Airlink Pumas 14 (9) Toyota Cheetahs 41 (14)

Airlink Pumas – Try: Ntsika Fisanti. Penalty goals: Clinton Swart (3).

Toyota Cheetahs – Tries: Daniel Kasende (2), Jandre Nel, Munier Hartzenberg, Aidon Davis, Gideon van der Merwe. Conversions: Ethan Wentzel (3), John Lourens. Penalty goal: Wentzel.

Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 24 (7), Vodacom Bulls 18 (8)

Hollywoodbets Sharks XV – Tries: Dylan Richardson, Jordan Hendrikse. Conversion: Siya Masuku. Penalty goals: Masuku (4).

Vodacom Bulls – Tries: Akker van der Merwe, Embrose Papier. Conversion: Jaco van der Walt. Penalty goals: Van der Walt (2).