Lions and Griquas to host Currie Cup semi-finals

The weekend’s last round of Currie Cup action has determined the line-up for the semi-finals of the historic tournament, with the Lions and Griquas hosting home semi-finals.

Boland, for so long in the top two on the log, will travel to Ellis Park to play the Lions, while the consistent Griquas will be at home against the Cheetahs.

Spare a thought for former champions in the Pumas, who were in theTop 4 for almost all of the tournament but dropped out at the weekend when they came up against a Sharks side strengthened by their United Rugby Championship stars.

The Sharks used the game as a warm-up for the upcoming URC season, having previously only selected young players. The Sharks won the game 19-13 in Durban and the previous week inflicted a mortal wound on Boland’s home semi-final aspirations when they won 33-31, thanks to a last-minute penalty.

And at the weekend, it was Western Province that added salt to Boland’s wounds when they beat their neighbours convincingly. Like the Sharks, Province used their weekend fixture to warm up URC stars.

There were plenty of permutations going into the final round of the Currie Cup, with the top four teams all chasing victories to strengthen their log positions.

The Lions ended top of the table after their seven matches after beating Griquas 31-7 at Ellis Park. If the Lions beat Boland in their semi, they will host the Currie Cup final.

In the weekend’s final match, the Cheetahs made a strong second-half comeback against a Bulls team loaded with URC players. The Free Staters lost 35-31at Loftus Versfeld, but the two bonus points they earned were enough to push them into the semi-finals.