Currie Cup wrap: Cheetahs tear Bulls to shreds, Lions flay Griffons

The Cheetahs ran in five tries to inflict a third consecutive Currie Cup defeat on the winless Bulls in Bloemfontein, while there were also wins for the Lions and Pumas on Friday.

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Bumbling Bulls beaten again, Cheetahs seal top spot

There’s just now end to the Bulls struggles as they once again succumbed to defeat, this time a 32-7 beatdown by the Cheetahs.

The result sees the Cheetahs consolidate their position at the summit of the Currie Cup standings, while it keeps the Bulls firmly chained to the bottom of the log. To add insult to injury, this is the Bulls’ 10th loss from their last 12 games in all competitions.

In this game, the Cheetahs raced out to a 10-point lead. To their credit, the Bulls hit back with a converted try to close the deficit to three, but another try gave the home side a 15-7 lead by the end of the half.

It was one-way traffic in the second stanza, with the Cheetahs doubling their lead over their fierce rivals to clinch a commanding win and collect maximum log points in the process.

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Lions survive Griffons scare to claim first Currie Cup win

The Lions ended their two-match losing streak when they clinched a 41-26 win over the Griffons at Ellis Park on Friday.

The win temporarily moved the Lions into the top half of the Currie Cup table, but with one more game to be played in this round, that could well change before the turn of the weekend.

Be that as it may, this was a highly entertaining encounter. But while the Lions contributed to the entertainment factor in the first half, the Griffons were full value for their 23-12 lead at the mid-way mark.

But the Lions turned things around spectacularly in the second half and scrumhalf Nico Steyn was front and centre of the comeback.

He scored a second-half hat-trick to inspire the Lions to a 15-point triumph.

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Pumas hold on against Griquas remain undefeated

In the final Currie Cup game of the night, the high-flying Pumas fired late in the second half to clinched a 28-13 victory over Griquas.

While the Pumas favourites eventually managed to win the game, the result hung in the balance right until the final quarter when the hosts seized control of the match.

With less than 20 minutes to go, the Pumas had a slender 10-6 lead, leaving the door open for Griquas to possibly pull off a stunning upset win.

But the defending champions showed their mettle as they scored 18 points late in the clash to secure the win.

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