With last year’s First Division champions, the Down Touch Griffons, promoted to the Premier Division, a new champion will be crowned after a double round of matches between the SA teams, with the side with the most log points after 10 matches taking home the silverware.

The Leopards and Boland Kavaliers started the season with bonuns-point victories over the Border Bulldogs and Valke respectively, while Eastern Province had to work hard for their win over the SWD Eagles.

The team from North West had way too much fire-power for the Bulldogs and won their match in Potchefstroom by 46-15, with Keenan Twigg and Sinothando Tshontsyi scored two tries apiece as the Leopards ran in seven five-pointers.

In Wellington, the Kavaliers also scored seven ties as they beat the Valke by 48-22, with Keenan Opperman scoring twice for the Bolanders.

The South-Eastern Cape derby between EP and SWD was much closer though, with the team from Nelson Mandela Bay beating their George opponents by 20-10 at the Wolfson Stadium.

Both sides scored two tries apiece, by EP got the victory courtesy of better goal-kicking by the experienced Masixole Banda, who converted both their tries and added two penalty goals.

The next round of matches on Saturday will see the Leopards take on EP in Potch (15h00), the Kavaliers will travel to Oudtshoorn to take on the Eagles (15h15), and Border will host the Valke in East London (15h30) (updated).