Table toppers downed in exciting weekend of Currie Cup action

The top of the table Cheetahs and second placed Pumas were both downed over an exciting weekend of Currie Cup matches which made the log a very congested affair with four rounds left in the pool stage.

The Cheetahs came off second best in their cat fight against the Lions in Bloemfontein, losing 33-26, while the 14-man Pumas were stunned by a late show from the Sharks to pip them 24-22 in their clash in Mbombela.

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Just five points now separates the top three sides, with the Cheetahs on 38 points, followed by the Pumas (35) and Sharks (33).

Another intense battle is on for the fourth and final play-off spot with five points separating the next four teams, with Western Province on 27 points followed by the Lions (24), Griquas (23) and Bulls (22).

Despite their loss against the Lions, the Cheetahs managed to pick up a potentially vital two bonus points, with how the season is panning out, after they scored four tries and finished within seven points.

A lot of fight

“I think the two (losing bonus) points that we got at the end shows that we have a lot of fight in this group. The fact that we fought back and scored that last maul try giving us the bonus point(s) shows massive fight and effort from the guys,” said Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie.

“No one goes out onto the field looking to lose. It’s just small things that we have to rectify and hopefully we can do it in time.

“We just made silly errors and they (the Lions) managed to capitalise very quickly, so credit to them in the first half for taking those chances. In the second half we showed that we can play at a high tempo and we did a lot of the playing, we just struggled to finish our opportunities.”

The other results on the weekend saw Western Province hold on for a tight 25-21 win over the Griffons in Welkom, while a United Rugby Championship laden Bulls team thumped the Griquas 40-20 in Kimberley to reignite their play-off challenge.