All to play for in final round of SuperSport Rugby Challenge
The final weekend of regulation play in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge has turned out to become one of must-wins and desperate results as eight of the 15 teams will try to get into the best possible position for the quarter-finals.
After eight rounds of play, only DHL Western Province are still unbeaten, while at least three others will be trying to secure the necessary points to be able to host the first round of knock-out matches next weekend.
With the top two in each of the North, Central and South Sections guaranteed automatic qualification to the final eight, the two best third-placed teams on log points will also sneak into the playoffs and could provide the highlight in the weekend’s action. A number of permutations exist and results at one venue could determine the fortunes of teams playing at another.
On top of that, the fifth Rugby Festival of this exciting new tournament will also take place on Sunday in Oudtshoorn, where two Gold Cup qualifying games will be played as curtain-raisers to the main match between SWD Eagles and DHL Western Province. The latter already secured top spot in the South, while the Eagles are the only side in the competition yet to register a victory. This clash, to be played on Sunday, will determine the final venues for the playoffs.
The Capetonians (34 log points) look set to finish with the most log points overall, but should they taste defeat in the Klein Karoo, Tafel Lager Griquas (30) or the Xerox Golden Lions XV (31) could pop them in the final act. Both these contenders face a tough assignment though before they could start planning for a home game.
The Xerox Golden Lions XV will host the Vodacom Blue Bulls on Friday at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, with all to play for in the North Section. The men from Pretoria need the victory to make sure the Steval Pumas (24) do not move past them into the top two.
The Nelspruit side will face Hino Valke on Saturday at the Mbombela Stadium and will know that a victory should secure a top eight position.
The Central Section looks most likely to deliver the other third-placed qualifier. Tafel Lager Griquas will be confident that they could lower the flags of the Down Touch Griffons in Kimberley and top the pool, while the clash between the Toyota Free State XV (22 log points) and Cell C Sharks XV (24 log points) in Bloemfontein will determine the other top two finishers.
The South Section clash between Boland (17 log points) and Eastern Province (20 log points) in yet another new venue, Bredasdorp, will not only determine which one of the two teams will drop out but could also help Border Bulldogs (22 log points, bye) into the playoffs.
The only teams that have no realistic chance to make the top eight are the Hino Valke and Windhoek Draught Welwitschias (North), Leopards and Down Touch Griffons (Central) and SWD (South), a clear indication of the competitive nature of this inaugural tournament.
The final round of fixtures are:
Friday 23 June:
Tafel Lager Griquas vs Down Touch Griffons
Tafel Lager Park, Kimberley
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Vusi Msibi
Toyota Free State XV vs Cell C Sharks XV
Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Xerox Golden Lions XV vs Vodacom Blue Bulls
Orlando Stadium, Soweto
Kick-off: 17h00
Referee: Stuart Berry
TV: SS1
Saturday 24 June:
Boland Cavaliers vs Eastern Province Kings
Bredasdorp Sports Grounds, Bredasdorp
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Quinton Immelman
Steval Pumas vs Hino Valke
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Cwengile Jadezwini
Sunday 25 June 2017 (Rugby Festival):
Evergreens vs Hawston (Gold Cup qualifier)
Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn
Kick-off: 11h00
Referee: Ruhan Meiring
TV: SS210
Bridgton vs Progress (Gold Cup qualifier)
Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Sindile Ngcese
TV: SS210
SWD Eagles vs DHL Western Province
Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
TV: SS210
The log positions with one round to play are:
NORTH
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Xerox Golden Lions XV | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 430 | 159 | 271 | 61 | 20 | 31 |
| 2 | Vodacom Blue Bulls | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 327 | 185 | 142 | 47 | 25 | 27 |
| 3 | Steval Pumas | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 267 | 184 | 83 | 37 | 22 | 24 |
| 4 | Hino Valke | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 240 | 339 | -99 | 34 | 49 | 15 |
| 5 | Windhoek Draught Welwitschias | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 140 | 537 | -397 | 19 | 82 | 6 |
CENTRAL
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Tafel Lager Griquas | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 286 | 178 | 108 | 40 | 25 | 30 |
| 2 | Cell C Sharks XV | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 236 | 140 | 96 | 35 | 18 | 24 |
| 3 | Toyota Free State XV | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 243 | 249 | -6 | 32 | 32 | 22 |
| 4 | Leopards | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 199 | 276 | -77 | 27 | 39 | 17 |
| 5 | Down Touch Griffons | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 192 | 313 | -121 | 27 | 47 | 12 |
SOUTH
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | DHL WP | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 266 | 130 | 136 | 38 | 17 | 34 |
| 2 | Border | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 215 | 264 | -49 | 29 | 37 | 22 |
| 3 | EP Kings | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 187 | 193 | -6 | 26 | 26 | 20 |
| 4 | Boland | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 164 | 150 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 17 |
| 5 | SWD | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 142 | 237 | -95 | 19 | 32 | 7 |
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
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