By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Suzuki Griquas reigned supreme in their top-of-the-table SA Cup clash with the Airlink Pumas when they defeated the defending champions on Sunday to remain unbeaten in 2026.
There were also important victories for the Dotsure SWD Eagles, Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, Eastern Province, and the Valke.
In a high-stakes clash between the SA Cup’s top two sides, Griquas maintained their unbeaten streak with a hard-fought 44-34 victory over the Pumas at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley on Sunday afternoon. The result keeps the men from the Northern Cape firmly at the summit of the log, while the defending champions from Mpumalanga remain just one point ahead of the chasing pack, led by the Eagles.
SWD maintained their good form by outplaying the Griffons 45-24 in their Saturday afternoon outing in George, while in Kempton Park on the East Rand, the Valke outplayed the Toyota Cheetahs 43–36 in an exciting encounter at the Barnard Stadium to keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the playoffs.
On Friday, the Kavaliers moved back into semi-final contention with a convincing 33-12 success over Leopards in Potchefstroom, and in the Eastern Cape derby in Gqeberha, Eastern Province gained only their second win this season by trumping Border 71-14 in their seventh-round clash.
The weekend’s result keeps Griquas firmly at the summit of the log with 35 points from their seven wins, while the defending champion Pumas are second on 28, just one point ahead of the chasing pack, led by SWD in third on 27 points, while the Kavaliers are in fourth on 25, the same number of points as the Cheetahs, whose points’ difference is slightly worse.
The Valke are in sixth on 19 points, followed by EP (12), the Griffons (11), Leopards (7) and Border (0). The top four teams at the end of the single round of league action will play in the semi-finals, whilst also qualifying for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.
In next weekend’s penultimate round, three games will be staged on Saturday and two on Sunday afternoon.
All three Saturday games are scheduled to start at 15h00: high-flying Griquas host SWD in Kimberley, the Valke welcome the Leopards to Kempton Park, and EP travel to Welkom to take on the Griffons.
On Sunday, the Pumas host Boland in Nelspruit, and Border are at home against the Cheetahs, with both matches also kicking off at 15h00.