The defending Currie Cup champions were brought back to earth in emphatic fashion by Griquas on Saturday, the men from the Northern Cape registering a surprise win against Johan Ackermann’s Lions in Kimberley on Saturday.
The 30-24 victory for Griquas was without question the result that had everyone talking after the third round of action. It was the home team’s first victory in five matches against the Lions and their first this season.
It was also the first defeat for Ackermann and his charges in 14 matches, after the Lions went 12 games unbeaten last year en route to lifting the title, while they kicked off their 2016 challenge with a big bonus-point win against the Pumas the previous week.
What made the victory so much more impressive was that the Lions scored a try after just 38 seconds when Akker van der Merwe picked up a loose ball following an error by the Griquas backs and ran in untouched.
Griquas, though, fought back to register a famous win and bag the four points on offer, but the Lions did at least leave Kimberley with two points after finishing within seven of the victors and scoring four tries.
While Ackermann and Co will be hurting following the upset, they’ll get a chance to bounce back this weekend when Boland visit Ellis Park on Friday. The visitors were well beaten at home by the Sharks on Friday and have only one victory (against the lowly EP Kings) to show for their efforts so far.
The Sharks and Cheetahs are now the only unbeaten sides in the competition after the Cheetahs surprised Western Province at Newlands, also on Friday.
Franco Smith’s men, and the Sharks, are three from three, and look to be well set to make a run for the title.
Fred Zeilinga was the star in Cape Town, the flyhalf kicking 22 points, to help his side to an unexpected win.
The other big winners at the weekend were the Sharks and the Blue Bulls, who fought back from being 14-0 down inside five minutes to win a hard-fought game against the Kings at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
Flyhalf Tian Schoeman played a big part in the victory, as he scored a try and kicked seven conversions to see his side to their second win of the campaign.
The Bulls’ title-winning credentials will now be put to the test by the unbeaten Sharks, who they visit on Saturday in the big game of the weekend.
RESULTS
Griquas 30, Lions 24; Bulls 49, EP Kings 35; WP 25, Cheetahs 32; Boland 20, Sharks 41
FIXTURES
Friday: Lions v Boland; Pumas v Griquas
Saturday: EP Kings v WP; Sharks v Bulls – The Star