The Griffons and Dotsure SWD Eagles continued their unbeaten starts to the Carling Currie Cup First Division season after another thrilling round of action, while Eastern Province secured their first victory of the campaign.
The second round kicked off on Friday evening in East London, where Eastern Province claimed a convincing 45-5 bonus-point victory over the Border Bulldogs. Saturday’s fixtures saw the defending champion Griffons edge the Leopards 39-38 in a dramatic encounter in Welkom, while the SWD Eagles powered past the Valke 45-24 in George.
After two rounds, the Griffons and SWD Eagles sit atop the standings with 10 points each, separated only by points difference, with the Welkom outfit retaining first place.
EP Cruise Past Border
Eastern Province delivered a dominant display at Police Park to register their first win of the season, scoring seven tries in a comprehensive Eastern Cape derby victory.
The visitors made a flying start as Lwandile Mapuko and Richman Gora crossed within the opening 10 minutes, both converted by Maxwell Klaasen. Border briefly responded through Lwazi Monakali, but EP quickly took control as CJ Velleman grabbed two first-half tries and Kamvelihle Fatyela added another to give the visitors a commanding 33-5 halftime lead.
EP maintained their momentum after the break, with Athenkosi Khethani extending the advantage before Velleman completed his hat-trick late in the match. Klaasen finished with five successful conversions as Eastern Province moved up to third place on the log.
Border’s struggles were compounded by yellow cards to Sivuyise Mabece and Thembela Folo.
Griffons Survive Leopards Fightback
The match of the weekend unfolded in Welkom, where the Griffons held off a spirited Leopards comeback to secure a nail-biting 39-38 victory.
The visitors dominated the opening half and led 26-12 at the break thanks to tries from Siniothando Tshontsyi, Shaun-Christian Baxter and Brandon Keevy, with Jandre Burger adding the extras. The Griffons remained within striking distance through tries by Simon Westraadt and Clive Kruger.
The defending champions came out firing in the second half. Jandre de Beer and Chris Hollis crossed early before Chadrack Tshimanga’s hat-trick turned the game in the hosts’ favour.
The Leopards fought back bravely, with Ghudian van Reenen scoring twice late on, but the crucial conversion attempt drifted wide, allowing the Griffons to hold on for a one-point victory and maintain their perfect record.
Eagles Continue Strong Start
In George, the Dotsure SWD Eagles made it two wins from two matches with a commanding 45-24 triumph over the Valke.
The home side dominated the first half, running in five tries through Ulrich Wahl, Janus Venter, Xavier Swartbooi, Ulrich Stander and Nathan Meilhon to establish a 35-0 lead at halftime. Divan du Toit converted all five scores, while the Valke were reduced to 14 men after Zander van der Merwe received a yellow card.
The visitors improved after the interval with tries from Thabo Ntunja, Lindokuhle Seteni, Theuns Pretorius and Blaine Golden, but the Eagles remained firmly in control as Matt Gray and Venter added further tries to secure another bonus-point victory.
Log Leaders Set for Showdown
Round three promises another exciting weekend of action, highlighted by a top-of-the-table clash between the unbeaten Griffons and SWD Eagles in Welkom.
Meanwhile, Eastern Province host the Leopards in Gqeberha, while the Valke welcome Border to Kempton Park. All three fixtures kick off at 15:00 on Saturday.