By: Bon Miguela Nhlapo
The 2026 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division playoff picture has taken shape, but the race for the final two semi-final places will head into the final league round after a dramatic weekend.
Round six saw defending champions Suzuki Griquas and Toyota Cheetahs both secure home semi-finals after victories on Friday and Sunday respectively, while five teams remain in contention for third and fourth place.
The Griquas moved to 26 points in the standings with a commanding 38-14 victory over the Airlink Pumas in Mbombela.
Zane Bester opened the scoring with an outstanding individual effort before Tiaan Lange crossed through after Pumas flanker Ruwald van der Merwe was shown a yellow card for head contact.
Lourens Oosthuizen added a third try while George Whitehead’s penalty ensured Griquas went into the break with a 24-7 advantage.
The defending champions were still in control after the break. The Pumas’ comeback hopes were dashed when Jan-Henning Campher’s yellow card was upgraded to red.
Meanwhile, the DHL Stormers XXIII kept their playoff hopes alive with a commanding 50-26 win over the Vodacom Bulls XV at Loftus Versfeld.
The visitors raced into a 33-7 half-time lead, with Junior Bok midfielder Markus Muller, Kyle Smith and Herman Lubbe among the try-scorers.
The Bulls XV fought back in the second half but further tries from Leotlela and Eric Basson ensured the Stormers XXIII completed a convincing seven-try victory. The result earned the Bulls XV a sixth consecutive defeat and leaves them stuck to the bottom of the standings on 5 points.
In Pietermaritzburg, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and Fidelity ADT Lions produced a thrilling 22-all draw at Woodburn Stadium.
The Sharks opened the scoring through captain Ross Braude after early pressure, but the Lions responded through Vuyo Gwiji, with Sam Francis’ conversion giving the visitors a 10-5 half-time lead.
The Sharks bounced back after the break through Liam van Wyk before Christie Grobbelaar finished with a brilliant counter-attacking move. Armand Combrinck’s try brought the Lions level at 17-17, setting up a tense final quarter. Meno Barnard appeared to have secured victory for the Sharks with a late try, but with the clock in the red, Ethan Adams combined with Gilermo Mentoe to create the opening for the Lions to level the scores. Unable to convert the try, the teams were left to share the points.
The Toyota Cheetahs secured their place in the top two with a hard-fought 33-24 victory over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in Bloemfontein.
Boland led 10-7 at half-time after Johnré Stopforth’s try and an Ashlon Davids penalty, following Juan Smal’s opening score for the Cheetahs. The Free State side responded fiercely after the break with Zander du Plessis scoring following a sharp break by Faf de Klerk.
Boland’s task became increasingly difficult as Kwanda Dimaza, Chris Smit, Stopforth and Gift Dlamini all spent time in the sin bin.
The Cheetahs took full advantage of their numerical deficiency, with De Klerk scoring from close range before Michael Annies crossed twice, including the bonus-point try.
Joshua Eras and Bentley Geldenhuys added late tries for Boland, but the Kavaliers could not claim a losing bonus point as the Cheetahs held on for a crucial victory.
The Griquas and the Cheetahs are both on 26 points in the standings as they head into the final round.
Behind them, the Pumas sit third on 17 points, with Boland and the Stormers XXIII level on 16. The Lions are on 15, while the Sharks XV remain in contention on 13.
The final league round begins next Friday when the Lions host the Stormers XXIII in Johannesburg at 17:05, before the Sharks XV face the Bulls XV in Durban at 19:15.
On Saturday, the Cheetahs travel to Mbombela to face the Pumas at 14:00, while the league phase concludes on Sunday when Boland host defending champions Griquas in Wellington at 15:00.