The Down Touch Griffons (against the Leopards) and Tafel Lager Griquas (over the Valke) won in Welkom and Kimberley respectively to add their claims to iSG Pumas, who outplayed the Vodacom Blue Bulls 29-21 on Friday in Nelspruit.
In the South Section, Boland outplayed EP Elephants in Wellington, and the Toyota Free State XV edged the Cell C Sharks XV in Bloemfontein.
SWD (vs DHL Western Province) and Border (vs Zimbabwe Academy) complete the South Section fixtures in East London on Sunday.
A summary of Saturday's results:
North Section:
In Kimberley, Tafel Lager Griquas scored an impressive 52-10 win over the Valke at Tafel Lager Park. The home side outscored the visitors by eight tries to two, an indication of the dominance they enjoyed.
The Down Touch Griffons also scored an important win in Welkom, beating the Leopards 34-27 in a close tussle, outscoring the visitors five tries to four. The home side held a slender 14-12 lead at the break.
The only visiting side to record a win was the Xerox Golden Lions XV, who outplayed the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias in Windhoek, winning 40-23. The visitors held a 14-3 lead at the break in the Hage Geingob Stadium and that proved decisive in an even second half.
South Section:
Boland fired the first shots in the South Section, beating the EP Elephants by 34-6 in a strong performance at the Boland Stadium in Wellington. The home side held a strong 17-6 lead at the break and doubled their score in the second half while keeping EP scoreless.
In Bloemfontein, the Toyota Free State XV got their season off to the perfect start, beating the Cell C Sharks XV 40-31 at the Toyota Stadium. The visitors side held a 28-14 lead, but had to fight hard in the second half to keep the home side at bay. They could not do so as the Bloemfontein men overhauled the Durbanites and romped away in the last 40 minutes.
Available scorers:
Tafel Lager Griquas 52 (28), Valke 10 (5)
Tafel Lager Griquas - Tries: Wendal Wehr (2), Sias Koen, Conway Pretorius, Ederies Arendse (2), Enver Brandt, Grant Hermanus. Conversions: George Whitehead (5), Tinus de Beer.
Valke - Tries: Friedle Olivier, Coert Cronje.
Boland 34 (17), EP Elephants 6 (6)
Boland - Tries: Patrick O'Brien, Ricardo Duarttee, Andries Viljoen, Wikus Groenewald. Conversions: Garrick Mattheus (2), Joshua Vermeulen (2). Penalties: Mattheus (2).
EP Elephants - Penalties: Richman Gora (2).
Down Touch Griffons 34 (14), Leopards 27 (12)
Down Touch Griffons - Tries: Ezrick Aleander (2), Domenic Smit, Duncan van Vuuren, Jean Pretorius. Conversions: Jaywinn Juries (3). Penalty: Neill Stannard.
Leopards - Tries: Reuben du Plooy (2), Keagan Tait, Edmund Rheeder. Conversions: Siyabonga Masuku (2). Penalty: Masuku.
Windhoek Draught Welwitschias 23 (3), Xerox Golden Lions XV 40 (14)
Windhoek Draught Welwitschias - Tries: Jan Booysen, JC Winkler. Conversions: PJ Steenkamp (2). Penalties: Steenkamp (2). Drop Goal: Cliven Loubser.
Xerox Golden Lions XV - Tries: PJ Botha, Chergin Fillies, Ruben Schoeman, Stean Pienaar, Yangu Hlalu (2). Conversions: Jeanluc Cilliers (5).
Toyota Free State XV 40 (14), Cell C Sharks XV 31 (28)
Toyota Free State XV - Tries: Jamba Ulengo (3), Janus Venter, Dian Badenhorst, Carel Coetzee. Conversions: Ernst Stapelberg (4), Tapiwa Mafura.
Cell C Sharks XV - Tries: Leolin Zass (2), Rhyno Smith, Penalty Try. Conversions: Smith (3). Drop Goal: Smith.
