Top four on a collision course in SA Cup

The NovaVit Griffons and Suzuki Griquas’ unbeaten status will be on the line when they clash in a highly anticipated SA Cup match in Welkom on Saturday afternoon, when all five round four encounters kick off at 15h00.

The Northern Free Staters and the defending champions from Kimberley are two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the competition and this match at the Down Touch Investments Stadium, which will be streamed live by SuperSport.

In another clash that is sure to capture the imagination, the fourth-placed Valke, who have won two out of their three matches, host the second-placed Airlink Pumas – the other unbeaten team in the SA Cup – in Kempton Park.

In other three fixtures, the Toyota Cheetahs will be eager to get their campaign back on track when they take on Eastern Province in Gqeberha; the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers will play at home for the first time in three weeks against the Phangela SWD Eagles in Wellington (also to be streamed live by SuperSport); and the Border Bulldogs entertain the Leopards in East London.

With a third of the league phase now completed, the race for the top four places – and qualification for this year's Carling Currie Cup Premier Division – is becoming clearer. Currently, the unbeaten trio of Griquas, the Pumas, and Griffons lead the standings with 15 points each.

The Valke are in fourth place with 10 points, followed by the Kavaliers (eight points) and the Cheetahs (seven points) in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

The Griffons will be hoping that home ground advantage in Welkom can play a key role when they face the formidable holders from Kimberley, who have not lost a match in the SA Cup since the start of last season, and have dominated their opponents, amassing 252 points at an average of 84 points per game, while conceding only 25 points.

The Welkom-based side will need a strong defensive effort to contend with the competition's most prolific try-scoring team, which includes a former Blitzbok speedster in Gurshwin Wehr.

Expect Wehr – who played his rugby in Welkom last year – and Griffons playmaker Andrew Kota to play important roles in this encounter. Kota is the leading points scorer with 49 points, while Wehr tops the try-scoring chart with seven tries.

Elsewhere, the Airlink Pumas are favoured to maintain their unbeaten run when they tackle the Valke at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, but they can’t afford to underestimate the East Randers, despite the men from Mpumalanga boasting a better defensive effort in their three games to date.

After two losses on the road, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers are hoping to turn the corner when they host the Phangela SWD Eagles at Boland Stadium in Wellington. The Kavaliers easily won the corresponding fixture last year in George and will target this game to bounce back to winning ways after last week's setback in Kempton Park.

Meanwhile, the remaining fixture between the Border Bulldogs (ninth place) and the Leopards (last place) in East London will provide one of these teams with their first win of the campaign.

Selected SA Cup statistics after three rounds:

Most points:
49: Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)
38: Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas)
37: Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas)

Most tries:
7: Gurshwin Wehr (Suzuki Griquas)
6: Gustav du Rand (Suzuki Griquas)
6: Jandre Nel (Toyota Cheetahs)

Most penalty goals:
5: Christian Humphries (Eastern Province)
4: Maxwell Klaasen (Border)
4: Keagan Fortune (Valke)

Most conversions:
14: Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas)
14: George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas)
14: Andrew Kota (NovaVit Griffons)

Match Information:

Valke vs Airlink Pumas
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Dylen November

Eastern Province vs Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Jonathan Lottering

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers vs Phangela SWD Eagles
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Eon van Zyl
TV: SuperSport channel 950

Border Bulldogs vs Leopards
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Sisa Dukashe Stadium, East London
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Phumzile Mbewu

NovaVit Griffons vs Suzuki Griquas
Date: Saturday, 29 March
Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
TV: SuperSport channel 248

SA Cup Suzuki Griquas Airlink Pumas Toyota Cheetahs NovaVit Griffons Valke Phangela SWD Eagles Eastern Province Border Bulldogs Leopards Sanlam Boland Kavaliers

Vodacom Bulls shine as other SA teams stumble...

The Vodacom Bulls shone bright over their South African counterparts in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this past ...

Cheetahs and Boland return to winning ways...

Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas continued their winning runs in the SA Cup to remain unbeaten after four rounds, wh...

Bulls Daisies make it three in a row in Pretoria...

The Bulls Daisies once again proved they have no peers on the provincial scene by beating DHL Western Province 46-31 in ...

Daisies aiming for three-peat against WP in 2025 s...

The Bulls Daisies will be looking for a repeat of the last two years’ Women’s Premier Division finals, where they outpla...

Every point counts as playoff race reaches boiling...

The four South African teams will enter the weekend desperate to register victories as the Vodacom United Rugby Champion...

SA Rugby broadens relationship with FNB

SA Rugby and FNB announced on Wednesday the broadening and deepening of their relationship with the bank becoming the principal partner of all national teams – with the FNB logo now taking centre stage on the front of all team jerseys.

Birthday vibes boost Blitzboks in Hong Kong

Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman had to do with a candle and cupcake on his 38th birthday, but Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids could celebrate his 31st in a more dramatic way, posing next to the other captains on the HSBC SVNS circuit at the new Kai Tak Stadium, where this weekend's Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens takes place.

Match official appointments to 31 March 2025

Match official appointments for the next few days have been made with the 14th round of the Vodacom URC taking place, while the final of the Women’s Premier Division is taking place in Pretoria.

MTN sponsorship ends after eight successful years

After back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins, inspiring teamwork, deft touches, breathtaking tries and plenty of joy for fans from all walks of life, the sponsorship agreement between MTN and the Springboks ends after eight highly successful years.

Oosthuizen: Blitzboks’ belief and smiles are real

There is a real belief amongst the players in the Springbok Sevens squad that they are improving as a team and doing the right things well has become a blueprint for them, according to experienced forward Ryan Oosthuizen, who arrived in Hong Kong this week for a seventh time as a Blitzbok.

Daisies aiming for three-peat against WP in 2025 showdown

The Bulls Daisies will be looking for a repeat of the last two years’ Women’s Premier Division finals, where they outplayed DHL Western Province, when the two teams meet again at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria – the same venue of the last two finals – at 17h15 on Saturday to conclude the 2025 season.

Mixed bag for Blitzboks on day one in Hong Kong

The Blitzboks blew hot and then cold on the opening day of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens on Friday, beating Uruguay by 40-7 before a disappointing 26-7 defeat to Australia in their second Pool B match at the new Kai Tak Stadium.

Bulls Daisies make it three in a row in Pretoria

The Bulls Daisies once again proved they have no peers on the provincial scene by beating DHL Western Province 46-31 in a pulsating Women's Premier Division final at Loftus Versfeld that delivered 12 tries, with the champions from Pretoria defending the title they’ve held since 2023.

Blitzboks' Hong Kong hoodoo hits again

The Springbok Sevens team crashed out of title contention in Hong Kong yet again after a 17-7 pool defeat to New Zealand on Saturday meant they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in this season's HSBC SVNS.

Vodacom Bulls shine as other SA teams stumble

The Vodacom Bulls shone bright over their South African counterparts in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this past weekend, with the Pretoria outfit being the only of the four franchises to come away with a victory as the competition struck round 14.