Top four on a collision course

The Griffons and Griquas’ unbeaten status will be on the line when they clash in a highly anticipated round 5 SA Cup match in Welkom on Saturday afternoon.

The Northern Free Staters and the defending champions from Kimberley are two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the competition.

In another clash that is sure to capture the imagination, the fourth-placed Valke, who have won two out of their three matches, host the second-placed Pumas – the other unbeaten team in the competition – in Kempton Park.

In other three fixtures, the Cheetahs will be eager to get their campaign back on track when they take on Eastern Province in Gqeberha; the Boland Kavaliers will play at home for the first time in three weeks against the SWD Eagles in Wellington; and the Border Bulldogs entertain the Leopards in East London.

With a third of the league phase now completed, the race for the top four places – and qualification for this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division – is becoming clearer. Currently, the unbeaten trio of Griquas, Pumas, and Griffons lead the standings with 15 points each.

The Valke are in fourth place with 10 points, followed by the Kavaliers (eight points) and the Cheetahs (seven points) in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

MORE: Cheetahs plant Blomme at 10

The Griffons will be hoping that home-ground advantage in Welkom can play a key role when they face the formidable holders from Kimberley, who have not lost a match in the SA Cup since the start of last season, and have dominated their opponents, amassing 252 points at an average of 84 points per game, while conceding only 25 points.

The Welkom-based side will need a strong defensive effort to contend with the competition’s most prolific try-scoring team, which includes a former Blitzbok speedster in Gurshwin Wehr.

Expect Wehr – who played his rugby in Welkom last year – and Griffons playmaker Andrew Kota to play important roles in this encounter. Kota is the leading points scorer with 49 points, while Wehr tops the try-scoring chart with seven tries.

Elsewhere, the Pumas are favoured to maintain their unbeaten run when they tackle the Valke at the Barnard Stadium, but they can’t afford to underestimate the East Randers, despite the men from Mpumalanga boasting a better defensive effort in their three games to date.

After two losses on the road, the Kavaliers are hoping to turn the corner when they host the Eagles. Boland easily won the corresponding fixture last year in George and will target this game to bounce back to winning ways after last week’s setback in Kempton Park.

Meanwhile, the remaining fixture between the Border Bulldogs (ninth place) and the Leopards (last place) in East London will provide one of these teams with their first win of the campaign.