The undefeated Pumas await the Valke Women in White River; AVBOB Griquas Women, currently in second place on the log, will travel to the Garden Route to face fourth-placed SWD Eagirls; while in Potchefstroom, defeat for either the hosts, the Leopards Women, or the visiting Griffons Women will see their dreams dashed at Olën Park.
The Valke must win at the picturesque White River Rugby Club and will be hoping that the hosts are already thinking of the semi-finals on 22 August.
The East Rand team had a solid season with some tight results going against them, but such is the dominance of the hosts so far this year that it almost seems wishful to think that the defending champions from Mpumalanga, who have an average score of 54-16 after five matches, can lose to the Valke, whose average score is 27-37.
The match-up between the two contenders from the Northern and Southern Cape looks like the hardest to call. The match will be played at Greenhaven Stadium in Groot Brakrivier, right in the heartland of the SWD Eagirls.
The Eagirls will have great support from their home crowd who will understand 10 log points after four matches are not what they are used too. The travelling Griquas side are playing very good rugby currently, with an average score of 42-25 and another win will secure a home semi-final in Kimberley, so they have everything to play for.
The Leopards will still be hurting after their defeat in Potchefstroom last weekend, where they were leading Griquas at halftime, only to concede a late try and faced the consequences.
The Griffons only have a short bus trip from Welkom and will arrive in Potchefstroom knowing that a win will not only put them firmly in the top four, but if other results go their way, they could finish the weekend in third place on the log.
**Match information:**
**SWD Eagirls v AVBOB Griquas Women**
**Venue:** Greenhaven Stadium, Groot-Brakrivier
**Date:** Saturday 8 August
**Kick-off**: 13h00
**Referee:** Siyanda Pikoli
**Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women vs Valke Women**
**Venue:** White River Rugby Club, White River
**Date:** Saturday 8 August
**Kick-off:** 13h00
**Referee:** Angie Bezuidenhout
**Leopards Women v Griffons Women**
**Venue:** Olën Park, Potchefstroom
**Date:** Saturday 8 August
**Kick-off:** 13h00
**Referee:** Yohane Tredoux
The second half was all Griffons though. They scored three unanswered tries for a 31-21 lead. Mtshweni closed the gap to 31-28 with a try that Tinoota converted.
A crucial call for Griffons, to kick for poles when awarded a penalty, proved the difference in the end as scrumhalf Pinkie Touto's kick was successful and edged them into a 34-28 lead. Mtshweni then scored her third, but her team came up short with the missed conversion.
Griquas scored 46 points in the second half of their match against the visiting Limpopo for a massive 73-15 win, their first of the season. In all, they scored 12 tries, with wing Maserati Bangaza bagging four and prop Nicole van Wyk getting a rare hat-trick.
Bangaza opened the scoring four minutes in and Van Wyk dotted down five minutes later. Another try, by centre Jennielee van Nel, had the home side cruising at 15-0 after 11 minutes. Limpopo recovered slightly, with Seetja Mmotong getting a try, before Bangaza added a second for a 27-5 halftime lead.
Then followed the 30-minutes of rugby the Suzuki Park crowd had seen from the Griquas Women in recent times.
They scored at regular intervals to stack up their biggest score in a while. Limpopo did score the last try of the match for some consolation, but their season now seems to be heading to a disaster after three consecutive defeats.
**Scorers:**
**Leopards Women 22 (15), Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women 44 (34)**
**Leopards** – Tries: Portia Mariquele, Onie Sihlobo, Amzolele Gqola. Conversions: Gqola (2). Penalty goal: Gqola.
**Pumas** – Tries: Megan Guambe (2), Pauline Sianga (3), Alicia Mahlalela (2), Jibrine Dube. Conversions: Mahlalela (2).
**AVBOB Griquas Women 73 (27), Limpopo Blue Bulls Women 15 (5)**
**Griquas** – Tries: Nicole van Wyk (3), Siziphiwe Dubulamanzi, Donishea Cloete, Maserati Bangaza (4), Tyrell Wilson, Jennielee Van Nel, Forgiveness Mashele (2). Conversions: Jean-Marie Owies, Van Nel (3).
**Limpopo** – Tries: Seetja Mmotong, Mapula Matsimela, Amaka Mabosi.
**Valke Women 33 (21), Griffons Women 34 (12)**
**Valke** – Tries: Aviva Kaduka, Lucia Yalezwa Xosana, Noyulanda Mtshweni (3). Conversions: Kaduka (3), Evidence Tinoota.
**Griffons** – Tries: Tshepiso Mantelile, Thato Rantai (2), Mmadjadji Mohalali, Line Viviers. Conversions: Pinkie Touto (3). Penalty goal: Touto.
Source: Original report at SA Rugby.
