The 2025 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #26
With the final league round of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division concluded over the past weekend, the Fidelity ADT Lions, Suzuki Griquas, Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers sealed their spots in next weekend’s semi-finals, which are set for Johannesburg and Kimberley.
In the first of the two playoffs, the Lions will host Boland from 17h00 at Ellis Park on Saturday, followed by the second semi-final, which is scheduled to start at 19h15 at Suzuki Stadium, where Griquas host the Cheetahs. Both matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
The last round of league matches delivered victories for the Lions, Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and a first triumph for DHL Western Province, while there was heartache for the Airlink Pumas, who just missed out on a semi-final berth.
The Sharks XV beat the Pumas by 19-13 in a tense affair in Durban on Friday evening for their third win of the campaign, while WP won their Western Cape derby 40-22 over Boland in Cape Town – their first victory of the season.
Up on the Highveld, the Lions roared to a 37-7 triumph over Griquas in Joburg and in the final encounter on Saturday, the Bulls finished their campaign with a hard-fought 35-31 win over the Cheetahs in Pretoria.
With the single league round now completed, the Lions finished in pole position on the final log with 26 points from five wins, and they are followed by Griquas on 25 points, the Cheetahs and Boland on 23 points apiece, while the Pumas finished fifth with 21 points. The Bulls (15 points), Sharks XV (14 points) and WP (six points) complete the standings.
The last round of league action kicked off on Friday evening in Durban, where the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV clinched a nail-biting 19-13 victory over the Airlink Pumas. Unfortunately for the visitors, who had to wait until the final match almost 24 hours later, the single losing bonus point was not enough to make the playoffs.
The first half was a tense affair in Durban, and despite the Sharks XV dominating territory and possession, several unforced errors and spoiled opportunities meant they remained scoreless. In contrast, the Pumas managed to take a 6-0 lead into halftime, capitalizing on penalty goals from flyhalf Clinton Swart even after hooker Eduan Swart was yellow carded for an illegal tackle.
However, the match came to life in the second half as both teams traded blows in search of points. The hosts finally broke the try-scoring drought when fullback Yaw Penxe chased down a Siya Masuku grubber to score. Pumas winger Lundi Msenge responded with a brilliant try of his own, expertly chipped to him by scrumhalf Ross Braude.
However, the momentum swung back to the Sharks with tries from Phepsi Buthelezi and Francois Venter securing a lead they would not relinquish.
In Saturday’s first fixture, DHL Western Province finally broke their winless streak by clinching a bonus-point 40-22 triumph over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers at the DHL Stadium.
A good Boland start was undone by a costly period of ill-discipline, which saw the visitors accumulating three yellow cards and conceding a heap of penalties during this spell.
The visitors initially controlled the game, but their pressure yielded only a solitary try from prop Dayan van der Westhuizen and a penalty goal through flyhalf Juan Mostert, handing them a narrow 8-7 halftime lead. Boland flanker Sauleigh Arendse was sent to the sin bin for repeated infringements just before the break.
Province capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Adre Smith crashing over from a maul and Leolin Zas finishing a smart team move. Two more yellow cards further hampered the Kavaliers and those errors proved costly as WP continued to pile on the pressure through tries from Jonathan Roche, Marcel Theunissen, and Vernon Matongo.
Jurie Matthee, who replaced Jean-Luc du Plessis, had a standout performance, adding five conversions and proving a key figure in the attack.
Boland managed to score two late consolation tries, through Donavan Don and Llewellyn Claassen, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit as they ultimately slipped down the ladder to fourth place. Despite finishing at the bottom of the log, WP will take heart from a much-improved performance, led by centurion Deon Fourie.
Also on Saturday, the Fidelity ADT Lions roared their way to pole position when they gained an emphatic 37-7 victory over the Suzuki Griquas in their evening clash at Ellis Park, where kick off was delayed an hour due to a lightning storm.
Griquas struck first when a swift, multi-phase attack led to a well-worked try by flanker Lourens Oosthuizen just five minutes into the match. Converted by flyhalf George Whitehead, the visitors took a surprise 7-0 lead, putting the Lions on the back foot.
The hosts responded with a try through centre Henco van Wyk and this was quickly followed by another score from Richard Kriel, giving them a 12-7 lead. The Highvelders’ relentless attack continued and this lead to yellow card for Griquas’ Mnombo Zwelenedaba and a successful penalty goal from Lions flyhalf Chris Smith, to hand the Gautengers a 15-7 halftime advantage.
The second half was all Lions as their attack continued to dismantle Griquas’ defence, with tries from Nico Steyn, Angelo Davids, and Quan Horn. By the time the final whistle blew, the Lions had amassed a dominant 37-7 triumph to surge to the top of the log.
The Vodacom Bulls held on for a hard-fought 35-31 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs in a drama-filled clash at Loftus Versfeld, a typical game of two halves, with the Bulls dominating the opening stanza before a spirited Cheetahs comeback in the second half.
The hosts began with blistering pace, scoring four tries in the first half alone. Captain Marcell Coetzee powered over in the opening minutes, followed quickly by Junior Bok speedster Cheswill Jooste and Mpilo Gumede. The Bulls’ forward pack was in complete control, establishing dominance at the set piece and breakdown.
David Kriel rounded off the first half try-blitz, crashing over after a powerful scrum to give the Bulls a commanding 28-5 lead at the break. Keagan Johannes was impeccable from the tee, with his reliable boot proving to be the ultimate difference maker with his five successful conversions.
However, the dynamics shifted dramatically early in the second half when Coetzee was shown a red card for an illegal tackle. The visitors capitalized immediately, with Jandre Nel, Prince Nkabinde, Pierre-Raymond Uys and Vernon Paulo all crossing the try line.
The Cheetahs showcased their speed and flair during this period, but a couple of missed conversions unfortunately proved costly in the end. Despite their valiant comeback attempt, the Bulls did just enough in the final stages to secure their third win.
Scorers:
Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 19 (0), Airlink Pumas 13 (6)
Sharks XV – Tries: Yaw Penxe, Phepsi Buthelezi, Francois Venter. Conversions: Siya Masuku (2).
Pumas – Try: Lundi Msenge. Conversion: Clinton Swart. Penalty goals: Swart (2).
DHL Western Province 40 (7), Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 22 (8)
WP – Tries: Adre Smith (2), Vernon Matongo, Leolin Zas, Jonathan Roche, Marcel Theunissen. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (5).
Boland – Tries: Dayan van der Westhuizen, Donavan Don, Llewellyn Classen. Conversions: Jayden Bantom, Don. Penalty goal: Juan Mostert.
Fidelity ADT Lions 37 (15), Suzuki Griquas 7 (7)
Lions – Tries: Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Nico Steyn, Angelo Davids, Quan Horn. Conversions: Chris Smith (3); Penalty goals: Smith (2).
Griquas – Try: Lourens Oosthuizen. Conversion: George Whitehead.
Vodacom Bulls 35 (28), Toyota Cheetahs 31 (5)
Bulls – Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Cheswill Jooste (2), Mpilo Gumede, David Kriel. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (5).
Cheetahs – Tries: Carel-Jan Coetzee, Jandre Nel, Prince Nkabinde, Pierre-Raymond Uys, Vernon Paulo. Conversions: Cohen Jasper (3).
