By
The Lions secured top spot on the Currie Cup table and a home semifinal after beating Griquas 37-7 at Ellis Park in a match that the start was delayed for more than an hour due to lightning.
Griquas struck first on the scoreboard when Lourens Oosthuizen showed good strength to power over for a try and George Whitehead made no mistake with the conversion.
The Lions hit back after 23 minutes when Henco van Wyk ran a clean line to go over untouched while Chris Smith added the extras from the kicking tee to bring the scores level.
The home side went 12-7 ahead as Richard Kriel scored a five-pointer but Smith sliced his conversion wide of the uprights.
Smith made sure the Lions took a 15-7 lead into the halftime break after landing a penalty in the last minute of the opening period.
The Lions extended their lead just 10 minutes after the interval as Nico Scheepers sniped around a maul and darted over for a try with Smith converting.
The hosts were then in cruise mode and pulling away on the scoreboard as Angelo Davids danced his way around the Griquas defence to score with Smith once again adding the extras.
WP pick up first victory in final game of the season
Western Province recorded their first victory of the season after a second half blitz saw them beat neighbours Boland 40-22 in the Cape derby at the DHL Stadium.
The home side, bolstered by some URC players, ran in six tries to the visitors' three to end a dismal campaign on a high.
It was Boland that opened the scoring when prop Dayan van der Westhuizen went over for a try but WP hit back with a five-pointer of their own through Vernon Matongo while Jurie Matthee converted to give his team a one point advantage.
Visiting flyhalf Juan Mostert slotted a penalty to give his team a slender 8-7 lead at the halftime break.
It was after interval that WP showed their dominance with lock Adre Smith going over for a brace of tries and further five-pointers by wing Leolin Zas and centre Johnny Roche extended the lead.
Boland scored two tries in the final quarter but it was not enough as the home team picked up maximum points in their final contest of the campaign.
Bulls edge Cheetahs but visitors clinch Currie Cup play-off spot
The Bulls held off a spirited second-half fightback to defeat the Cheetahs 35-31 in a dramatic Currie Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Despite the loss, the Cheetahs secured a semifinal place thanks to Vernon Paulo's late bonus-point try, which simultaneously ended the Pumas' play-off hopes.
The home side were dominant in the first half, exploiting Cheetahs' errors and indiscipline. Marcell Coetzee opened the scoring inside two minutes, before Cheswill Jooste and Mpilo Gumede added further tries, all converted by Keagan Johannes.
David Kriel crossed for the Bulls' bonus-point try after sustained scrum pressure, leaving the hosts comfortably ahead at the break.
Cheetahs responded after half-time, but momentum shifted dramatically in the 50th minute when Coetzee was shown a red card for a head clash with Franco Smith, who left the field on a medical cart. Earlier, Pierre Uys had been sin-binned for an off-the-ball tackle.
The visitors capitalised with their replacements adding fresh energy. Jandre Nel finished after a Clayton Blommetjies break, before Prince Nkabinde raced in from his own half.
Paulo then powered over from a maul to seal qualification, although Cohen Jasper missed the conversion. Uys later made amends with a late try from Nel's pop pass, converted by Jasper, setting up a tense finale.
Ultimately, the Bulls held firm as the Cheetahs lost possession in contact during their last surge. Jooste finished with two tries, while Johannes was flawless from the tee for the Bulls. For the Cheetahs, their five-try haul proved enough to keep their season alive despite defeat.
