Both semi-finals will take place on Sunday, 6 September, with the match in Kimberley kicking off at 13h00, followed by the Bloemfontein playoff at 15h30.
With Griquas and the Cheetahs having already secured their play-off places before the weekend’s four encounters, the Pumas and Lions still had it all to play for in the final round of league action, but both duly booked their semi-final spots with convincing victories, while the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers’ changes of progressing sadly evaporated on Sunday.
The Fidelity ADT Lions kicked off the final round when they outplayed the DHL Stormers XXIII 36-12 in Johannesburg on Friday. That match was followed by the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV's 53-22 victory over the winless Vodacom Bulls XV in Durban.
In Saturday's only fixture, the Airlink Pumas turned on the style to outclass the Toyota Cheetahs 52-26 in Nelspruit, while the Suzuki Griquas wrapped up the weekend's action with a commanding 48-17 away win over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in Wellington on Sunday afternoon.
Following the seventh-round matches, Griquas finished top of the standings on 31 points, with the Cheetahs second on 27. They were followed by the Pumas (22) and Lions (20) in the top four.
The Sharks XV finished fifth on 18 points, while the Kavaliers and Stormers XXIII both ended on 16 points. The Bulls XV finished eighth on six points.
Kicking off the action at home in Johannesburg on Friday afternoon, the Fidelity ADT Lions delivered when it mattered most, producing a five-try victory over the DHL Stormers XXIII to keep their play-off ambitions firmly alive.
Entering the final round knowing defeat would end their season, the Johannesburgers started with urgency and rarely allowed the visitors a foothold in the contest. Matt Coetzee opened the scoring with an early penalty goal before a slick attacking movement ended with Gilermo Mentoe crossing for the first try of the match. The Lions capitalised on their opportunities and established a commanding 15-0 half-time lead when captain Jarod Cairns powered over from a driving maul shortly before the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Junior Bok centre Ethan Adams benefited from an intelligent chip-and-chase to score, while Renzo du Plessis crashed over for the all-important bonus-point try.
The Capetonians finally replied through Junior Bok midfielder Markus Muller, but Dominic Malgas' yellow card effectively ended any hopes of a comeback. Latica Nela added the Lions' fifth try before Altus Rabe crossed late for a consolation score.
The result lifted the Highvelders into the top four and simultaneously ended the Cape side's hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
Needing a bonus-point victory and favours elsewhere, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV did everything within their control as they overwhelmed the Vodacom Bulls XV in a free-scoring encounter in Friday's second fixture in Durban.
The hosts produced one of their most clinical attacking displays of the season, running in eight tries and scoring more than 50 points in a dominant performance after leading 36-7 at half-time.
Zimbabwean international loose forward Tino Mavesere crossed twice in the opening 12 minutes to set the tone for the Sharks XV's relentless attacking assault. He went on to score four of his side's eight tries.
Although the Bulls XV responded through Junior Bok flanker Kebotile Maake, the Sharks XV quickly regained momentum as Ross Braude and Tim Swiel sliced through the visitors' defence. Mavesere completed a first-half hat-trick as the Sharks surged into a commanding 29-point lead at the interval.
The visitors showed greater enterprise after the break, with Marnus Rademeyer and Brooklyn Newman narrowing the gap, but the Sharks XV never looked seriously threatened. Mavesere bagged his fourth try in a remarkable individual display before replacement hooker Jacques Marais struck twice late in the match.
In Nelspruit, Airlink Pumas produced the performance of the weekend as they powered to a 52-26 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs to secure their place in the semi-finals. Facing a side that had already qualified for the play-offs and was still challenging the defending champion Suzuki Griquas for top spot, the hosts played with intensity, urgency and attacking ambition throughout.
The Pumas led 28-7 at half-time and eventually crossed for eight tries, while the Free Staters replied with four of their own.
Knowing victory would remove any doubt about qualification, the men from Mpumalanga attacked from the outset and consistently won the gain-line battle. Their forwards established dominance in the tight exchanges, creating the platform for the backs to exploit space out wide. The result was a constant stream of attacking opportunities that gradually overwhelmed the Cheetahs' defence.
And in the final league match of the season, the defending champions Suzuki Griquas secured top spot on the Carling Currie Cup log with a powerful 48-17 victory over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in Wellington on Sunday, ending the hosts' hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
In a match with everything at stake for Boland, the home side made a promising start and remained firmly in contention throughout a competitive first half. Ashlon Davids opened the scoring with an early penalty goal, but Griquas responded through Marco de Witt and Dylan Maart to establish control.
Boland fought back bravely, with Sibusiso Sangweni crossing before Jayden Bantom delighted the crowd with a try that briefly gave the Kavaliers the lead. However, Griquas struck on the stroke of half-time when hooker Tiaan Lange powered over from a rolling maul to edge the visitors into a narrow 19-17 advantage at the break.
The second half belonged entirely to the visitors. Griquas turned up the intensity and dominated the physical exchanges, shutting Boland out completely after the interval.
Tries by Carl Els, Stefan Coetzee, Lourens Oosthuizen and Gurshwin Wehr, combined with the accurate boot of Liam Koen, saw the defending champions pull away emphatically. Griquas scored 29 unanswered points after half-time to seal a comprehensive victory and secure a home semi-final in Kimberley.
**Scorers:**
**Fidelity DT Lions 36 (15), DHL Stormers XXIII 12 (0)**
**Lions** – Tries: Gilermo Mentoe, Jarod Cairns, Ethan Adams, Renzo du Plessis, Latica Nela. Conversions: Matthew Coetzee (4). Penalty – Coetzee.
**Stormers XXIII –** Tries: Markus Muller, Altus Rabe. Conversion: Kyle Smith.
**Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 53 (36), Vodacom Bulls XV 22 (7)**
**Sharks XV –** Tries: Tino Mavesere (4), Ross Braude (2), Tim Swiel, Jacques Marais (2) Conversions: Luan Giliomee (4).
**Bulls XV –** Tries: Kebotile Maake, Marnus Rademeyer, Brooklyn Newman, Lavela Pongolo. Conversion: Ian van der Merwe.
**Airlink Pumas 52 (28), Toyota Cheetahs 26 (7)**
**Pumas –** Tries: Ntsika Fisanti, JJ Scheepers (2), Tiaan de Klerk, Chyle van Zyl (2), Andre Goedhals, Sango Xamlashe. Conversions: Clinton Swart (6).
**Cheetahs** – Tries: Michael Annies, Daniel Maartens, Stefan Venter, Carel-Jan Coetzee. Conversions: Faf de Klerk, Tiaan Swanepoel.
**Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 17 (17), Suzuki Griquas 48 (19)**
**Boland** – Tries: Sibusiso Sangweni, Jayden Bantom. Conversions: Ashlon Davids (2). Penalty goal: Davids
**Griquas** – Tries: Marco de Witt, Dylan Maart, Tiaan Lange, Carl Els, Stefan Coetzee, Lourens Oosthuizen, Gurshwin Wehr. Conversions: Liam Koen (5).
Source: Original report at SA Rugby.
