Absa Currie Cup Review – Week 11
Ryno Barnes tackled by Riaan Swanepoel in photo by Gerhard Steenkamp
Six teams are still jostling for semi-final places in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup as the Premier Division competition enters its final three weeks of league fixtures.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls resurrected their title defence at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening following their 24-21 victory over the Xerox Lions. The win for the defending champions ensured that they ended week 11 in third position on the log. They are now only five points (one bonus point victory) away from the second-placed Vodacom Western Province who are on 38.
The Sharks moved one step closer to finishing the league phase of the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division in pole position after they ran in four tries and secured maximum points from their clash against the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (30-16) in Durban on Saturday.
The Durban side is eight points clear of Vodacom WP who also kept their aspirations alive of securing a home semi-final when they outclassed the Barloworld Toyota Pumas 62-10 in Nelspruit on Friday evening.
In Kimberley the GWK Griquas also kept their chances of qualifying for next month’s playoffs alive after they handed the Platinum Leopards (29-20) their 11 consecutive defeat in the competition on Friday.
The Kimberley side failed to flatter, but still managed to score four tries and achieve maximum points from their clash against the only side in the competition who has yet to win a game this season. The GWK Griquas are in sixth position on the Absa Currie Cup log with 30 points and are only two behind the fourth-placed Vodacom Free State Cheetahs.
The Vodacom Free State Cheetahs were relegated to fourth position after they failed to bag any points from their trip to The Absa Stadium Durban on Saturday. The Bloemfontein side only scored one try which was added by lock Francois Uys, while The Sharks achieved maximum points from this fixture for scoring four tries.
Rory Kockott, Odwa Ndungane, Willem Alberts and Charl McLeod all added five-pointers for the hosts while flyhalf Patrick Lambie who is currently the leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition (152), kicked two penalties and two conversions.
The Xerox Lions who conceded a 24-21 defeat to the Vodacom Blue Bulls ended week 11 outside the top four and finished the round in fifth position. Both sides scored two tries in this fixture.
Vodacom Blue Bulls centre Stefan Watermeyer and No 8 Gerrit Jan van Velze were the try-scorers for the hosts while centres Doppies le Grange and Waylon Murray added five-pointers for the Johannesburg side.
Flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter kicked four penalties and converted one try for the defending champions while former SA Under-20 pivot Elton Jantjies kicked three penalties and one conversion for the Xerox Lions.
Vodacom WP were in rampant mood in Nelspruit and scored eight tries against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium.
Winger Gio Aplon and flanker Francois Louw each scored a brace while centres Juan de Jongh and Jean de Villiers, winger JJ Engelbrecht and substitute centre Paul Bosch added tries for their side.
Flyhalf William de Waal kicked five conversions and two penalties while Vodacom WP Under-21 pivot Gary van Aswegen also converted three tries.
Meanwhile in Kimberley GWK Griquas fullback Riaan Viljoen scored two tries as his side achieved maximum points against the struggling Platinum Leopards. The hosts’ other tries were scored by Johan van Deventer and Justin Downey.
GWK Griquas flyhalf and captain Naas Olivier who is currently the third highest points’ scorer in the 2010 competition kicked three conversions and one penalty.
In the Absa Under-21 Championship, Vodacom Western Province were in rampant mood in Wellington as they comprehensively defeated the Boland Cavaliers 111-0 in this Group A clash on Friday.
There were also victories for the Vodacom Blue Bulls who defeated the Xerox Lions 32-21, and for The Sharks who outclassed their Free State opponents 51-25 in Durban on Saturday.
In the Absa Under-19 Championship, the Vodacom Blue Bulls maintained their winnings in the Group A section after they comfortably defeated the Xerox Lions 56-27 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Sharks secured a 37-28 victory over the Free State Cheetahs at The Absa Stadium Durban while Vodacom WP and the Griffons played out a 7-7 draw in Rondebosch on Saturday.
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