Currie Cup wrap: Bulls power on, Sharks upset Lions

The Bulls powered on with a comeback 50-34 win over Western Province in their Currie Cup clash at Loftus on Saturday evening, while the Lions suffered their first defeat of their campaign against the Sharks earlier in the day.

In Pretoria the Bulls continued their winning run in the competition with their fourth straight win to move top of the log, after being given a fright by their coastal visitors in the first half.

Province were in top form in the first 40 minutes to score three tries to one to take a 27-10 lead into halftime, but could not sustain that level for the whole game as the hosts came out firing in the second half.

Bulls blow WP away

Four tries in the opening 15 minutes of the second period to the Bulls saw them power into a 36-24 lead, and although Province briefly responded to make it 36-31, the Bulls finished with two more converted tries to see out an impressive win in the end.

“I am really pleased with our performance and I am proud of the way the guys fought tonight (Saturday). We didn’t want to disappoint the Loftus crowd, so I am pleased with the win and happy for the boys,” said captain Nizaam Carr after the match.

“We have the Cheetahs next in Bloemfontein and that is going to be a tough one. So we will have a day to recover and hit the road running again on Monday.”

Sharks find form

The Lions meanwhile will be bitterly disappointed to have seen their unbeaten run broken by the Sharks, going down 35-22 in their home game at Ellis Park.

It was a complete reversal of fortune, after the Lions went into the game on the back of three wins, while the Sharks had suffered three losses, but it was the coastal side that superbly came out on top.

The Sharks were dominant throughout, taking a 20-3 lead into halftime, before leading 35-10 in the second half, with two tries from the hosts in the final 10 minutes making the scoreline more respectable.

On Friday the Cheetahs were given a massive scare, but in the end bounced back from their first loss of the competition, with a thrilling 47-45 win over a fired-up Griffons in Welkom, while in the only game on Sunday, the Pumas beat Griquas 66-26 to stay in the top half of the points table.

This week’s fixtures:

Friday: Cheetahs v Bulls 5pm

Saturday: Pumas v Sharks 3pm, WP v Griffons 5.15pm

Sunday: Griquas v Lions 3pm