MTN Golden Lions 35 (13) vs Vodacom Blue Bulls 26 (7) MyZA

The Sharks and DHL Western Province this weekend strengthened their chances of home semifinals in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls and GWK Griquas continued their struggle to make their presence felt.

With only three pool rounds remaining the Sharks and Western Province need only two more log points to cement their semifinal places, while the Blue Bulls and Griquas face a daunting task to sneak into the semifinals after each side managed to secure only a bonus point this weekend.

In Saturday’s matches, the Sharks were emphatic in their dominance against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Durban which earned them a 50-26 victory and the top spot on the log, and the MTN Golden Lions powered their way to a 35-26 victory against the Vodacom Blue Bulls.

On Friday, DHL Western Province held on to a 19-13 lead despite a spirited effort by GWK Griquas in Cape Town to secure their fifth victory in seven matches.

At Ellis Park, the MTN Golden Lions dominated possession and did well to stretch the Vodacom Blue Bulls’ defence, which earned them an encouraging five tries. The fact that the visitors were reduced to 14 men for 20 minutes of the match following unnecessary infringements did not assist their cause, although to their credit they defended well when they were a man down.

The Lions started the clash strongly with Andries Coetzee and Jaco Kriel crossing the tryline in the first 14 minutes thanks to fantastic inter-passing and team work. Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies added a penalty for a 13-0 lead. But nippy Blue Bulls scrumhalf Rudy Paige reduced the deficit to only six points after gathering the ball and dancing his way to the tryline.

The home team continued their dominance in the second half and reaped the rewards with three tries. But a late comeback by the Pretoria side which saw them retain possession and Springbok wing Bjorn Basson produce some magic following his return from the national team’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship tour, allowed the team to close the gap on the scoreboard. Basson scored two tries and centre Francois Venter one, which secured their bonus point, but it was a case of too little too late to keep alive their hopes of a victory.

Scorers:

MTN Golden Lions 35 (16) – Tries: Andries Coetzee, Jaco Kriel, Jacques van Rooyen, Marnitz Boshoff, Ruan Dreyer. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2). Penalties: Boshoff, Jantjies.
Vodacom Blue Bulls 26 (7) – Tries: Bjorn Basson (2), Francois Venter, Rudy Paige. Conversions: Tony Jantjies (3).

Absa Currie Cup Premier Division log: