leopards, Griffons contest first division crown

The Leopards, under the coaching of Chaka Willemse, beat the Pumas 50-18 in Potchefstroom, after leading 23-12 at half-time. The Griffons, meanwhile, converted their 16-9 half-time lead into a 27-17 victory over the defending champions, the Eagles, at the North West Stadium in Welkom.

The Leopards were outright favourites to beat the Pumas after winning the last encounter between these two teams 77-29 in Witbank and they did not let their supporters down at Profert Olen Park on Friday evening.

Centre Deon van Rensburg scored two tries for the Leopards, with flyhalf Clayton Durand - the leading points-scorer in the First Division - adding 21 points, through five penalties and three conversions.

In the weekend's second semifinal, in Welkom on Saturday, the Griffons managed their second successive victory over the Eagles, having also beaten them last week in both teams' final league matches.

Zimbabwean flyhalf Kennedy Tsimba, at the ripe old age of 34, scored 21 points in last week's win and he was the hero once again for the Griffons, kicking five penalties and one conversion for a personal tally of 17 points. Tsimba, a former Vodacom FS Cheetahs star, has now scored 104 points in the First Division this season.

Springbok Sevens wing Howard Noble scored two tries for the Griffons, with the Eagles replying through a try by Ryno van der Merwe and four Ambrose Barends penalties.

The Leopards and the Griffons will now meet in the 2008 Absa Currie Cup First Division Final on Friday, October 10 at Profert Olen Park in Potchefstroom (kick-off 7.10pm, CSN/SuperSport 1) - a day before the Premier Division semifinals in Durban and Pretoria.

Of course, after next week's final, the Leopards and the Griffons will play home-and-away promotion/relegation matches against the bottom two teams in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division in October (the Boland Cavaliers and the Valke) - this all for the right to participate in next year's Absa Currie Cup Premier Division.

The table-topping Leopards will play against the Valke (who finished in eighth place on the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division log), with the second-placed Griffons coming up against the Boland Cavaliers (seventh place).

These matches will take place on Saturday, October 18, with the second leg games set for Friday, October 24 - a day before the 2008 Absa Currie Cup Final. The kick-off times are yet to be confirmed.

Both Boland and the Valke were also involved in last year's promotion/relegation play-off matches. The Valke played against the Eagles; with the Valke winning both matches - 22-17 in Brakpan and 21-11 in George. The other play-off fixtures saw Boland beat the BA Mighty Elephants 42-13 in Wellington and 26-21 in Port Elizabeth.

Top points-scorers:

165 - Clayton Durand (Platinum Leopards)

104 - Kennedy Tsimba (Griffons)

91 - Jeffrey John Taljard (Border Bulldogs)

84 - Ambrose Regan Barends (SWD Eagles)

81 - Rudi Vogt (Pumas)

Top try-scorers:

11 - Andries van Rensburg (Platinum Leopards)

10 - Jan van Zyl (Platinum Leopards), Vuyo Zangqa (Platinum Leopards)

7 - Norman Nelson (BA Mighty Elephants)

6 - Russel Jeacocks (Border Bulldogs), Cecil Afrika (Griffons), Howard Noble (Griffons), Anvor Schooney (Platinum Leopards), Allistair Kettledas (SWD Eagles), Johannes Saayman (SWD Eagles)

5 - Eckard Jacobs (BA Mighty Elephants), Colin Lloyd (Platinum Leopards)