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Cape Town - Western Province and the Sharks will host the Blue Bulls and Golden Lions respectively next Saturday in the semi-finals of the Currie Cup Premier Division.
The matches, to be played in Cape Town and Durban, will extend an amazing season of breath-taking action in the country’s premier domestic rugby competition and are just reward for the two sides, who produced the most consistent performances during the season.
Western Province finished top of the log after beating the Vodacom Blue Bulls 34-7 in a match that was abandoned at half-time when weather conditions – lightning and torrential rain – made it unsafe to continue at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
This win, on the back of four tries in the opening 40 minutes, resulted in an undefeated run in regulation play for the defending champions.
The Sharks finished strongly as well, beating Griquas in Kimberley, a venue respected by all teams.
The visitors had fallen prey to the hosts at Tafel Lager Park in the past, but a strong display by their backline saw the Durban side record a solid 41-11 victory, their fifth in six outings.
The visitors scored seven tries to one, with six of those coming from the outside backs, with wingers Lwazi Mvovo and his replacement, Leolin Zas, scoring a brace each.
On Friday, the Golden Lions confirmed their playoff spot with a hard-fought 33-21 win over the Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium. The Golden Lions held a 21-14 lead and, in the second half (which was also delayed slightly due to a passing thunderstorm) scored three more tries to claim the bonus point.
The Pumas needed to win to have any chance of making the playoff stages, but they were always playing catch-up after conceding an early intercept try to Lionel Mapoe in the opening minute.
The Sharks/Xerox Golden Lions clash at King’s Park will kick off at 14:30 and the Western Province/Vodacom Blue Bulls match at Newlands will start at 17h00.
