Cheetahs clinch Free State derby to move into SA Cup top four

The Toyota Cheetahs defeated the NovaVit Griffons in a crucial SA Cup fixture in Bloemfontein on Saturday, putting them back in top four contention, as pace-setters, Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas, continued their winning runs, while there were also good results for the Valke and Eastern Province.

The weekend’s action kicked off in George on Friday afternoon, where the Valke handed the Phangela SWD Eagles their fourth loss of the campaign with a deserved triumph on the road to keep them in the race to the top four; and later the second-placed Airlink Pumas recorded a runaway victory over the Border Bulldogs in Nelspruit.

On Saturday, Suzuki Griquas had to fight back from a first-half deficit to beat the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in an absorbing encounter in Kimberley, condemning the team from Wellington to their third loss of the season; while Eastern Province gained their second victory of the year by defeating the Leopards at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

With five rounds completed, Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas increased their tally to 25 log points with bonus-point wins, while the NovaVit Griffons remained in third spot (18 points) despite their defeat in the Free State Derby with neighbours Toyota Cheetahs, who moved up into fourth place (17 points).

Breathing down their necks just outside semifinal contention at the moment are the Kavaliers and Valke (15 points each); while EP occupies seventh place on 12 points. The Eagles (seven points), Leopards (four points), and Border (two points) bring up the rear.

The Toyota Cheetahs won their crucial Free State derby 38-31 over neighbours NovaVit Griffons in Bloemfontein on Saturday, moving into Carling Currie Cup Premier Division contention. The men from Bloemfontein converted their 19-10 halftime lead into a morale-boosting seven-point win for their third victory of the campaign.

SA CUP Full-Time: Toyota Cheetahs 38 - 31 NovaVit Griffons#CHEvGRIF@YesPlaySA @ToyotaSA pic.twitter.com/wz7JTcVxde

— Toyota Cheetahs (@CheetahsRugby) April 5, 2025

The Griffons were their own worst enemies in the opening spell, collecting two yellow cards and conceding a string of penalties. However, they struck back in the second half, with a penalty try evening the scores at 31-31 before a late try by the Cheetahs’ replacement hooker Vernon Paulo clinched a thrilling contest for the hosts.

The Valke withstood a second-half rally from the Phangela SWD Eagles to clinch a 24-18 victory at Outeniqua Park, after leading 24-10 at the break.

The East Randers scored three tries in the first half, through Sergio Stalmeester, Mbembe Payi, and Godfrey Muzanargwo, but the Eagles piled on the pressure in the second half, with Hlomla Zondani grabbing their only try and Roshwin Abrahams adding a second penalty goal in the closing minutes to reduce the final deficit to six points.

Eastern Province gained their second win of the competition by defeating the Leopards 26-17 in their round-five clash Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Gqeberha. The hosts scored four tries to move up to seventh place on the league table, despite a yellow card shown to CJ Velleman.

The Leopards scored first in the second half through Bryan Breda, but Eastern Province made home field advantage count, scoring twice through Jayden Bantom and Wayne Ngubane to secure the win.

Suzuki Griquas showed their pedigree once more by defeating the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 42-36 in a competitive clash Friday afternoon in Kimberley. The defending SA Cup champions fought back from a 17-14 halftime deficit to eventually outscore the Kavaliers by six tries to five, recording their fifth win to keep their winning run intact.

The Airlink Pumas routed the Border Bulldogs 110-7 to record their fifth straight win, scoring 16 tries while only conceding one. Fullback Tino Swanepoel led the try feast with four, while loose forwards Andre Fouche and Marvelous Mashimbyi each scored twice. Danrich Visagie was in superb form with his boot, converting 15 of the 16 tries, one of which he scored himself, for a personal tally of 35 points.

Next weekend will see one game staged on Friday evening, between Griquas and EP, while the rest will follow on Saturday. Border host the Kavaliers in East London; the Pumas travel to Potchefstroom to take on the Leopards; the Cheetahs will welcome the Eagles to Bloemfontein; and the Griffons will travel to Kempton Park for their away fixture against the Valke.

Scorers:

Eastern Province 26 (12), Leopards 17 (3)

EP – Tries: Wayne Ngubane, Johannes Huisamen, Deon Plaatjies, Jayden Bantom. Conversions: Christian Humphries (3).

Leopards – Tries: Bryan Breda, Chris van Heerden. Conversions: Charles Williams (2)

Toyota Cheetahs 38 (19), NovaVit Griffons 31 (10)

Cheetahs – Tries: Rewan Kruger, Prince Nkabine, Andisa Ntsila, Michael Annies, Vernon Paulo, Daniel Maartens. Conversions: Cohen Jasper (4).

Griffons – Tries: Willem van den Hefer, Junior Banda, Kyle Cyster, Penalty try. Conversions: Qamani Kota, Duan Pretorius (2). Penalty goal: Pretorius.

Suzuki Griquas 42 (14), Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 36 (17)

Griquas – Tries: Gustav du Rand (2), Phumzile Maqondwana, Cameron Hufke, Marcqiewn Titus, Gurshwin Wehr. Conversions: George Whitehead (6).

Boland – Tries: Jurick Lewis (2), James Tedder, Ashlon Davids, Ludio Williams, Sidney Tobias. Conversions: Davids (4).

Phangela SWD Eagles 18 (10), Valke 24 (24)

SWD – Tries: Mpho Ntsane, Hlomla Zondani. Conversion: Roshwin Abrahams. Penalty goals: Abrahams (2).

Valke – Tries: Sergio Stalmeester, Mbembe Payi, Godfrey Muzanargwo. Conversions: Stalmeester (3). Penalty goal: Stalmeester.

Airlink Pumas 110 (68), Border Bulldogs 7 (0)

Pumas – Tries: Tino Swanepoel (4), Andre Fouche (2), Marvelous Mashimbyi (2), Sango Xamlashe, Darnell Osuagwu, Danrich Visagie, Lundi Msenge, Eddie Swart, Carlton Banies, Kabelo Mokoena, Russwill Fredericks. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (15).

Border – Try: Sibusiso Lali. Conversion: Maxwell Klaasen.