XEROX Golden Lions secured a big away win to place them in contention for the 2016 Currie Cup play-offs.
The Lions beat the EP Kings on Saturday, September 24, in Port Elizabeth 71-7 and secured a bonus point. The victory has put the local Johannesburg team in fifth position on 23 points one point behind the Western Province, who is in the vital fourth position on 24 points.
The Toyota Cheetahs secured their first place on the log as well as a home game advantage with a massive 34 points. The Blue Bulls are second on 30 and the Cell C Sharks in third on 25 points. The final round-robin matches will be played over this coming weekend.
The Lions dominated against the EP Kings on Saturday both on territory and possession, which kept alive their semi-final hopes. The hosts conceded several penalties in the opening 15 minutes and the defending champions opted to attack rather than kick at goal, which saw them having to contend with a spirited EP Kings defensive effort.
The Xerox Golden Lions finally broke through for their first try in the 17th minute thanks to a strong maul, but the EP Kings levelled the scored at 7-7 as Sampie Mastriet stretched over the line. That marked the host’s first and last points of the match, as the visitors found their rhythm and scored another three tries to secure their bonus point before the break and a 27-7 lead.
The Johannesburg side ran riot on attack in the second half as they added seven tries to take their total for the match to 11, with captain Kwagga Smith scoring a hat-trick and Howard Mnisi and Jacques Nel each a brace to cap off a fine win.
It was a particularly satisfying round for the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, who sealed their spot at the top of the standings for a home semi-final, and the Vodacom Blue Bulls, who also ensured that they would finish in the top four on the log.
In a thrilling penultimate round, the Toyota Free State Cheetahs recorded their seventh straight victory as they defeated the Steval Pumas, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls beat Boland, DHL Western Province overpowered Griquas.
The final pool round this weekend will see the Cell C Sharks take on the Xerox Golden Lions in what promises to be a nail-biting clash, which could see the winning team advance to the semi-final, and the losing team’s season come to an end.
Adding extra spice to the final round, Griquas will have a faint mathematical chance of sneaking into the semi-final if they topple the undefeated Toyota Free State Cheetahs and DHL Western Province and the Xerox Golden Lions suffer defeats.
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