The 2026 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #18

The weekend’s action got underway on Saturday when Griquas delivered a strong performance to defeat the Lions in Kimberley by 31-19. That was followed by the Pumas’ nail-biting 33-31 win over the Bulls at Loftus in Pretoria; and in the third match of the day, staged at KwaMashu, the Sharks XV beat a gritty Kavaliers side by 19-12.

On Sunday, the Cheetahs recorded a crucial win at Athlone Stadium over the DHL Stormers XXIII, that lifted the Free Staters to 16 points, the same as leaders Griquas, who have a better points differential.

The leading duo are followed by the Lions and Pumas, both of whom are on 12 points. Boland are now fifth on the log with 11 points, the same total as the Stormers XXIII. The Sharks XV increased their tally to 10 points, while the Bulls XV are still winless on three points.

In Saturday’s first of three matches, Suzuki Griquas leaped to top of the standings following a dominant 31–19 bonus-point victory over the Fidelity ADT Lions in Kimberley.

Griquas set the tone early, with Mnombo Zwelendaba puncturing the defence to set up Gershwin Wehr for the opening try. Just three minutes later, Dylan Maart surged down the right flank, linking with man-of-the-match Bobby Alexander before finishing off Griquas' second try. Thando Biyela gave the visitors a lifeline late in the first half, but Griquas took a 13–7 lead at the break.

In the second half, Janus Venter crossed from a powerful driving maul in the 55th minute for the hosts. Five minutes later, Griquas executed the try of the match when Zwelendaba chipped ahead for Zane Bester, who cross-kicked for Alexander to dot down.

Despite a late yellow card for Bester and tries from Jarod Cairns and Exauce Tshiamala for the Lions, George Whitehead’s 11-point tally – including a late drop goal – sealed the win for the defending champions.

In Saturday’s second match, the Airlink Pumas kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling 33–31 win over a 14-man Vodacom Bulls XV at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, handing the home side their fourth loss of the season.

The Pumas initiated a first-quarter blitz with tries from Alfondso Isaacs, skipper Willie Engelbrecht, and JJ Scheepers. However, indiscipline heavily plagued the home side – Abongile Nonkontwana was shown a red card in the 12th minute, followed by yellow cards to Siphosethu Mnebelele and Cephas van Biljon.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Bulls XV clawed back via a penalty try and a late first-half effort from Jonathan Eloff to trail 19–14 at the break.

Mnebelele, the Junior Springbok captain, scored early in the second half to briefly put the Bulls ahead by 21–19, but the Pumas’ Jan-Henning Campher turned the tide, scoring two maul tries in quick succession.

Although the Bulls mounted a late rally with tries from Sandi Msengana and Hakeem Kunene, a missed conversion by Keagan Johannes in the 78th minute saw the visitors from Mpumalanga hold on for a narrow two-point win.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV kicked off a new era in historic fashion, holding off a fierce challenge from the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers to secure a 19–12 win at Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu.

The Kavaliers struck first in the fifth minute through Jayden Bantom following a sweeping backline move. The Sharks XV responded through 19-year-old Junior Springbok speedster Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, who intercepted and sprinted half the field to score, converted by Tim Swiel. Before halftime, a powerful run by Tino Mavesere allowed Johannes Slabbert to crash over, giving the home side a 14–5 lead at the interval.

Following a huge arm wrestle in the second stanza, Rasivhaga sealed his brace with 10 minutes remaining, extending the Sharks' lead to 19–5. A late converted try from Boland’s Dewald Maritz brought the visitors within seven points, but the KwaZulu-Natalians held firm in the dying minutes for a crucial home win, handing the Kavaliers their second defeat in a row.

On Sunday, in the last fixture of the fourth round, the Toyota Cheetahs produced a dramatic late finish to claim a 31-26 bonus-point victory over the DHL Stormers XXIII at Athlone Stadium, with Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk scoring the decisive try in the closing moments.

The hosts dominated the early exchanges and opened the scoring through Stefan Ungerer in the 11th minute. The Cheetahs responded through wing Prince Nkabinde, but a late first-half try by Vernon Paulo gave the Capetonians a deserved 14-5 advantage at the break.

The Free Staters started the second half strongly, with Neels Volschenk crossing shortly after the restart. The Stormers’ Wandile Mlaba then extended the home side’s lead before being shown a yellow card for a tip tackle.

Frans Steyn’s visiting team then fought back through Michael Annies and later took the lead via a penalty try after a deliberate knock-on by Xola Nyali. Mlaba returned from the sin bin to score his second try, drawing the teams level at 26-26 heading into the final minutes.

With the match heading for a draw, the Cheetahs maintained their composure and, after sustained pressure, De Klerk crossed in the corner to seal a valuable win to lift his side to second place on the standings.

In next week’s round five action, the Fidelity ADT Lions and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers clash on Friday at 15h00 at Wits Rugby Stadium in Johannesburg, while the Suzuki Griquas host the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV from 17h05 in Kimberley.

Saturday’s only fixture sees the Airlink Pumas welcome the DHL Stormers XXIII to the Mbombela Stadium for their 17h00 meeting, and the round concludes next Sunday when the Vodacom Bulls XV host the Toyota Cheetahs from 15h00 in Pretoria.

**Scorers:**

**Suzuki Griquas 31 (13), Fidelity ADT Lions 19 (7)**
**Griquas** – Tries: Gershwin Wehr, Dylan Maart, Janus Venter, Bobby Alexander. Conversion: George Whitehead. Penalty goals: Whitehead (2). Drop goal: Whitehead.
**Lions** – Tries: Thando Biyela, Jarod Cairns, Exauce Tshiamala. Conversions: Sam Francis (2).

**Vodacom Bulls XV 31 (14), Airlink Pumas 33 (19)**
**Bulls –** Tries: Penalty Try, Jonathan Eloff, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Sandi Msengana, Hakeem Kunene. **Conversions:** Keagan Johannes (2).
**Pumas –** Tries: Alfondso Isaacs, Willie Engelbrecht, JJ Scheepers, Jan-Henning Campher (2). Conversions: Nevaldo Fleurs (4).

**Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 19 (14), Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 12 (5)**
**Sharks XV –** Tries: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (2), Johannes Slabbert. Conversions: Tim Swiel (2).
**Boland –** Tries: Jayden Bantom, Dewald Maritz. Conversion: Ashlon Davids.

**DHL Stormers XXIII 26 (14), Toyota Cheetahs 31 (5)**
**Stormers XXIII –** Tries: Stefan Ungerer, Vernon Paulo, Wandile Mlaba (2). Conversions: Jean-Luc du Plessis (3).
**Cheetahs –** Tries: Prince Nkabinde, Neels Volschenk, Michael Annies, Penalty Try, Faf de Klerk. Conversions: Zander du Plessis (2).

Source: Original report at SA Rugby.