The Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks are in a favourable position to host the Carling Currie Cup semi-finals this season after good victories over the weekend of August 14 and 15, while the race to the other two playoff spots will go down to the wire, with all five other Premier Division teams still in the hunt to make the top four.
The Leopards lifted the Carling Currie Cup First Division trophy for the first time since 2015 when they beat the Down Touch Griffons in a tense final in Potchefstroom on Friday, with the result still in the balance until the last play of the match, which took place in cold and windy conditions.
With two Premier Division games to go, the Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks top the standings with 39 and 35 points respectively, followed by the New Nation Pumas (27), Tafel Lager Griquas (26), DHL Western Province (25), the Sigma Lions (24) and Toyota Cheetahs (21).
Of the chasing pack, the men from Johannesburg have played ten matches and will have to win both their remaining fixtures to be in with a shout of reaching the playoffs, while the other four sides still have three games to go.
And after three clashes on August 18, in Nelspruit, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, there will be a much clearer picture of who will in all likelihood travel to Pretoria and Durban for the playoffs.
