CARLING CURRIE CUP WRAP: Big wins for Boland and Griquas

The second round of the 2026 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division delivered another weekend of high-scoring action, with the Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers maintaining their unbeaten record on a weekend where four players - Prince Nkabinde, Bobby Alexander, Gurswin Wehr, and Jayden Bantom – scored tries hat-tricks, while the DotSure SWD Eagles won the First Division for the first time since 2018.

Four hat-tricks and four home wins - the Carling #CurrieCup delivered yet another weekend of superb rugby! More here: https://t.co/EfrFFFTH16 💥#WhereChampionsRise pic.twitter.com/5Zt4mFy6AI

The Eagles were crowned Carling Currie Cup First Division champions on a frosty Friday evening in George, where they delivered a dominant second-half performance to beat the Valke 41-21, after leading by 19-14 at the break.

The hosts outscored the visitors from the East Rand by six tries to three in an entertaining final at Outeniqua Park.

The game was evenly balanced at the halfway mark, but the second half belonged entirely to SWD as they dominated the forward battle, showed impressive defensive resolve, and displayed clinical finishing to round off several scoring opportunities.

The Dotsure SWD Eagles were crowned the Carling #CurrieCup First Division champions for the first time since 2018 when they beat the Valke in the final in George - more here: https://t.co/B0UeQhv70T 🏆#WhereChampionsRise pic.twitter.com/mEbjKiVSDP — The Carling Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) July 24, 2026

In the Premier Division, the Cheetahs and Kavaliers were in rampant form, with the Free Staters beating the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV by 43-21 in Bloemfontein on Friday, and on Sunday, the Bolanders beat their neighbours, the DHL Stormers XXII, by 41-3.

In Saturday’s two matches, the Fidelity ADT Lions bounced back from their opening-round defeat with a commanding 52-29 win over the Airlink Pumas in Johannesburg, while defending champions Suzuki Griquas reignited their campaign with a resounding 56-26 success over the Vodacom Bulls XV in Kimberley.

CHEETAHS OUTRUN THE SHARKS

The Cheetahs continued their impressive start to the campaign with a convincing bonus-point victory over the Sharks XV, pulling away in the second half after the teams were locked at 14-14 at the interval at the Toyota Stadium.

The home side struck almost immediately when wing Prince Nkabinde crossed in the second minute, with Jaco van der Walt adding the conversion.

The Sharks responded through centre Janco Purchase before Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk showcased his class with a well-taken try to restore the Cheetahs' advantage.

Simphiwe Ngobese levelled matters for the visitors midway through the first half, and the teams remained deadlocked at the break.

The Cheetahs seized control shortly after halftime when Juan Venter finished a move sparked by De Klerk.

Sharks wing Marnus Potgieter briefly edged the visitors ahead, but Nkabinde's second try quickly shifted momentum back to the hosts.

The speedy wing completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute as the Cheetahs dominated territory and possession during the closing stages.

Late tries by replacement Daniel Maartens and De Klerk completed the scoring for the Free Staters and sealed a comfortable victory.

LIONS ROAR TO VICTORY

The  Lions produced a polished attacking display to open their account for the season, outscoring the Pumas by seven tries to four at Ellis Park for a 52-29 triumph.

Although the Pumas enjoyed plenty of early possession and opened the scoring through a Danrich Visagie penalty goal, the Lions responded with purpose.

Centre Likhona Finca crossed for the hosts' opening try before flanker Jarod Cairns powered over for the first of his two tries.

The visitors stayed in touch through tries by lock JJ Scheepers and flanker De Wet Marais, reducing the halftime deficit to just four points at 21-17.

A pivotal moment came when Pumas wing Dalvon Blood received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, resulting in a penalty try for the hosts.

Shortly thereafter Lions prop Morgan Naude was also yellow-carded for repeated infringements.

The second period belonged to the hosts. Cairns grabbed his second try before fullback Latica Nela and centre Rynhardt Jonker crossed in quick succession to stretch the lead beyond reach.

Replacement scrumhalf Conor van Eden kept the Pumas in contention with a well-worked try, but Sam Francis's accurate kicking and a second Nela touchdown ensured a comprehensive victory.

Thabo Ndimande and Troy Delport were both yellow-carded in the closing stages as the Pumas’ discipline faltered.

Suzuki Griquas responded emphatically to last week's opening-round defeat, running in eight tries against the Vodacom Bulls XV to secure their first win of the season with this 56-26 success in Kimberley.

BULLS BULLIED

The Bulls started brightly, with centre PA van Niekerk crossing inside the opening minute.

However, the hosts soon settled and produced some of their trademark attacking rugby. Scrumhalf Bobby Alexander, celebrating his 50th appearance for Griquas, scored the first of three tries before wing Gurswin Wehr also crossed as the hosts moved ahead.

Bulls wing Hakeem Kunene and fullback Devon Williams kept the visitors in touch, but Alexander's second try and a powerful score by tighthead prop IG Prinsloo gave Griquas a 28-19 halftime advantage.

The Kimberley outfit dominated after the break. Flanker Lourens Oosthuizen scored from a quick tap before Alexander completed his hat-trick.

Bulls wing Riyaad Bam briefly narrowed the gap, but Wehr added two further tries to complete a hat-trick of his own.

Flyhalf George Whitehead was flawless from the kicking tee, converting all eight Griquas’ tries in a clinical performance.

STORMERS SMASHED

In the last fixture played on Sunday afternoon, the Kavaliers maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a convincing 41-3 victory over the Stormers XXIII in Wellington, backing up last week's impressive win over the Bulls XV with another statement performance in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

Speedster Jayden Bantom contributed 26 points for the Bolanders, scoring three tries, four conversions and a penalty goal as they outclassed their neighbours from Cape Town.

Boland wasted little time asserting themselves and raced out of the blocks with two tries in the opening 10 minutes.

Domenic Smit opened the scoring before Xavier Mitchell added a second as the hosts stormed into a 10-0 lead, with their direct running and attacking intent putting the visitors under immediate pressure.

The Stormers XXIII gradually worked their way into the contest and enjoyed a greater share of possession, but they struggled to convert territory into points.

Their only score of the afternoon came in the 19th minute when Dominic Malgas slotted a penalty goal to reduce the deficit to 10-3, but with Boland holding the upper hand through their forward dominance, and Bantom adding a penalty goal, the home team led by 13-3 at the break.

The Kavaliers picked up where they left off after the interval and extended their lead early in the second half. A well-executed driving maul created the platform for Joshua Eras to crash over.

From there, it was one-way traffic as Boland took complete control.

Bantom proved unstoppable in the second half, crossing three times to cap a superb individual display as the Bolanders ran away with an emphatic bonus-point victory.

After two rounds, the  Cheetahs top the standings with 10 points from their two bonus point wins, one more than the Kavaliers, who are also unbeaten after two outings.

They are followed by the  Lions on seven points, Griquas (6), the Sharks XV (5), Stormers XXIII (4), Pumas (3) and the Bulls XV (1 point).

Next weekend, Griquas and Cheetahs kick off the third round with a meeting in Kimberley, starting at 7pm on Friday evening.

That is followed by two games on Saturday – the Stormers XXXII host the Sharks XV at 3pm at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, and at 5:05pm the Lions take on the Bulls XV at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

On Sunday at 3pm, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers host the Airlink Pumas at the Boland Stadium in Wellington.

Scorers:

Carling Currie Cup First Division Final: DotSure SWD Eagles 41 (19), Valke 21 (14)

SWD – Tries: Niel Beukes, Janus Venter, Xavier Swartbooi, Ulrich Wahl, Runé Lucas, Divan du Toit. Conversions: Du Toit (4). Penalty goal: Du Toit.

Valke – Tries: Hlomla Payi, Zeilinga Strydom, Tylor Sefoor. Conversions: Sergio Stalmeester (2), Sefoor.

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division

Toyota Cheetahs 43 (14), Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 21 (14)

Cheetahs – Tries: Prince Nkabinde (3), Faf de Klerk (2), Juan Venter, Daniel Maartens. Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (4).

Sharks XV – Tries: Janco Purchase, Simphiwe Ngobese, Marnus Potgieter. Conversions: Tim Swiel (3).

Fidelity ADT Lions 52 (21), Airlink Pumas 29 (17)

Lions – Tries: Likhona Finca, Jarod Cairns (2), Latica Nela (2), Rynhardt Jonker, Penalty Try. Conversions: Sam Francis (6). Penalty goal: Francis.

Pumas – Tries: JJ Scheepers, De Wet Marais, Conor van Eden, Dalvon Blood. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (3). Penalty goals: Visagie (2).

Suzuki Griquas 56 (28), Vodacom Bulls XV 26 (19)

Griquas – Tries: Bobby Alexander (3), Gurswin Wehr (3), IG Prinsloo, Lourens Oosthuizen. Conversions: George Whitehead (8).

Bulls XV – Tries: PA van Niekerk, Hakeem Kunene, Devon Williams, Riyaad Bam. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (2), Viaan Mentoor.

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 41 (13), DHL Stormers XXIII 3 (3)

Boland – Tries: Domenic Smit, Xavier Mitchell, Joshua Eras, Jayden Bantom (3). Conversions: Bantom (4). Penalty goal: Bantom.

Stormers XXIII – Penalty goal: Dominic Malgas.