The Vodacom Bulls overpowered the Toyota Cheetahs 91-5 in Pretoria, also on Friday, while the Fidelity ADT Lions gained a crucial 38-25 away win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

The results leave WP on 38 points, five clear at the top over the Lions (33 points), followed by the Bulls and Sharks, both on 31 points. The Cheetahs (15) and Leopards (nine points) complete the standings.

In this comings weekend’s final round of league games, WP host the Cheetahs from 12h30 on Friday at City Park, while the Lions welcome the Bulls to Ellis Park on the same day at 14h30. The Leopards and Sharks meet the next day 13h00 at Olen Park in Potchefstroom in the last league fixture.

Based on current form, WP should consolidate their top spot, while the Lions are favoured in their home derby against the Bulls which is a crucial meeting for both teams seeing that the Sharks play last-placed Leopards on Saturday. The four top teams will battle it out next week in the two semi-final matches.

DHL Western Province delivered a dominant performance to defeat the Leopards 57-19, outscoring their visitors by nine tries to three. The hosts took control from the outset, racing to a commanding 40-12 halftime lead courtesy of six first-half tries.

Their scoring spree was initiated just a minute in by Junior Bok prop Herman Lubbe, followed by efforts from Benito Goeda and Samuel Badenhorst. Oyintando Maseti and Junior Bok loose forward Xola Nyali also crossed, with flyhalf Kyle Smith converting five times.

The Leopards managed to stay on the board in the first half with tries from Hanro Venter and Pieter Coetzer, but they struggled against the pace and power of the WP attack.

In the second half, WP added three further tries. Badenhorst got his second, while replacements Ryno Loots and Ruan van Willing also joined the scoring act, with Van Willing adding a conversion. The Leopards managed a late consolation try through Ryno Bosch to make the scoreline a bit more respectable.

The Vodacom Bulls delivered a statement win of intent, overpowering the Toyota Cheetahs 91-5 in their league clash at the Loftus Versfeld B Field on Friday.

The Pretoria outfit established a huge lead early on, running in five tries to one in the first half to take a deserved 35-5 lead. The Bulls’ midfield pairing of Phillip-Albert van Niekerk and Junior Bok Demitre Erasmus, who scored three tries, proved unstoppable, while fullback Hopewell Ntshangase also contributed three tries to the final 13-try haul.

Flyhalf JT Kapank controlled the flow of points in the first half, converting five tries while the Free Staters’ only points came from a lone try by Vice Hofmeyer.

The home side continued their dominance in the second half as they piled on 56 unanswered points. Replacements Jaundre Schoeman (two tries) and Liam Koen (five conversions) ensured the Bulls maintained their potent attack, underlining their status as strong contenders.

The Fidelity ADT Lions secured a crucial 38-35 away victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in a thrilling encounter at Crusaders RFC in Durban on Saturday. The match was tightly contested, featuring 10 tries in total, split evenly at five apiece, with the difference coming down to goal-kicking and a critical penalty goal.

The Lions took a narrow 21-14 lead into the break, thanks to tries from Gilermo Mentoe, Likhona Finca, and Asemahle Nongogo, all converted by flyhalf Matthew Coetzee. The Sharks responded with first-half tries from flanker Matt Romao and No 8 Thomas Dyer, which were both converted by Frederick Marx.

The second stanza delivered another arm wrestle. Finca grabbed his second try early for the Lions, but Dyer responded for the Sharks, also securing his brace.

The turning point came when the Sharks conceded a yellow card to prop Simphiwe Ngobese, allowing Coetzee to slot a penalty goal for the Lions. Despite late tries for the Sharks from Henrico Germishuizen and Philip McLaren, the Lions held on for the tight win.

In the SA Rugby U21 Shield competition, the league phase was completed over the past weekend, in both the Northern and Southern sections.

The Pumas ran up a ton in their away game against the Limpopo Blue Bulls, which the team from Nelspruit win by a landslide 102-5 margin on Saturday. Griquas defeated Valke 36-14 at the Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley in the second Northern division game.

In Polokwane, the Pumas led 45-5 at halftime and they went on to score 16 tries to one, with Valera Breytenbach grabbing four tries and Kutloana Sabeala dotting down three times.

Meanwhile, in the Southern division, Eastern Province outplayed the SWD Eagles 35-21 in Gqeberha, while Border won their battle with divisional leaders Sanlam Boland by 34-31 in East London on Saturday.

The Harmony Griffons ended top of the Northern division by finishing unbeaten after four games on 20 points, followed by the Pumas (16), Griquas (11), Valke (six) and Limpopo (three).

In the Southern division, Boland ended on 24 points, three above Border (21), while EP had 18 and SWD 12.

The Griffons host the Pumas in the one semi-final at 14h00 on Friday in Welkom, while the other playoff is at 13h30 between Boland and Border in Worcester on Saturday.

Three SA Rugby U19 Cup games were completed last Friday. DHL WP beat the Leopards 60-14, log leaders the Fidelity ADT Lions scored an impressive 29-7 win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban, and the Vodacom Bulls were too strong for the Toyota Cheetahs, running out 31-12 winners.

This coming weekend is the last league round before the semi-finals the following week. WP host the Cheetahs in Cape Town, the Lions face the Bulls in Johannesburg, with both games taking place on Friday. The final match is on Saturday, when the Leopards host the Sharks in Potch.