South Africa’s most iconic and prized domestic rugby championship, the Currie Cup, always is bound for a few twists and turns.

Those twists and turns seem to ramp up when the knockout rounds get closer.

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Just two rounds remain in Currie Cup play before the playoff semifinal rounds get going, and with four spots up for grabs in the eight-team Premier Division, there's still plenty of positioning left to play for as regular-season play dwindles.

Rugby has changed a lot since the first edition of the Currie Cup over 100 years ago, but those who grew up watching and playing rugby in South Africa know that winning the country’s top domestic trophy is a different kind of pride compared to anything that they can achieve abroad.

Here’s a look at the action that went down during Round 8 of the Currie Cup, streamed live and exclusively in the United States on FloRugby:

Bulls’ Unbeaten Season Continues

The undisputed best team of the Currie Cup season to date has without a doubt been the Vodacom Bulls, who are unbeaten with seven wins through eight matches, as they’re getting closer and closer to clinching the top seed for the upcoming playoffs. 

A highlight-filled showcase in front of home support at Loftus Versfeld on Friday only drove home the point that coach Jake White and his men are going to be brutally tough to beat for the rest of the Currie Cup season.

Even with Marco de Witt and Dylan Maart each scoring for the visiting Suzuki Griquas without reply inside the first 15 minutes - putting some added pressure on the Bulls to respond, as they were down 14-0 early in the match - the electric hosts found their footing and eventually romped to a 47-24 victory, with both Celimpilo Gumede and Juann Else notching braces. The Bulls have won five consecutive matches.

The 25-time Currie Cup champions are in a bit of a title drought by their lofty expectations, having failed to capture South Africa’s top domestic title since 2021. But with less than a month to go before the final on Sept. 21, there’s likely no bigger favorite in the field right now to snatch the title than the Bulls.

📊 The statistics speak for themselves. @BlueBullsRugby are having a dominant season! #CarlingCurrieCup #WhereChampionsRise pic.twitter.com/uaAmkI7t95

— The Carling Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) August 20, 2024

Lions Win, Cheetahs Slip

In what could be a future knockout-round showdown if both teams stay within the top half of the table, the Fidelity ADT Lions and Toyota Cheetahs both needed victories in Round 8, but for different reasons.

If the Lions are wanting any chance of the top seed in the playoffs, they need to keep on winning to keep pace with the seemingly impenetrable Bulls, especially after the Lions lost to the Sharks last month. Meanwhile, the Cheetahs also are in a playoff race but have the task of currently guarding the fourth, and final, spot from a hungry pack behind them, with the Pumas most dangerous.

In the end, it was the Lions on Saturday who rose to the occasion and showcased how they are  the Bulls’ biggest threat.

A rapid 26-0 start and an eventual brace from the competition’s joint leading top try-scorer, Renzo du Plessis, helped the Lions prevail 38-21 at the Free State Stadium and get another impressive victory, their fourth straight. 

Up 14-0 inside 10 minutes, the Lions showed their teeth away from home after both du Plessis and Juan Schoeman scored tries to keep their positive momentum going, which is all the more important considering that they have a titanic clash with the Bulls in Round 9.

As for the Cheetahs, who dropped their second in a row, they need results and fast - especially with the Pumas charging hard right behind them, looking to overtake them in the table.

Sharks Staying Red-Hot

After a disastrous three-match losing streak to start their 2024 Currie Cup campaign, the Hollywoodbets Sharks were likely dead in the water to many, with their second-place regular-season result - with a competition-leading 10 wins - and a playoff semifinal appearance in 2023 seeming like distant memories after they began the 2024 season languishing in the table’s basement.

But once the Sharks finally got the early-season struggles sorted out and began to play their best, consistency (and results) came with it.

The Sharks made it five matches unbeaten (with four wins) as they went to Cape Town to take down the struggling DHL Western Province this weekend, improving to third in the standings with a 31-23 victory. 

A miraculous turnaround to make the playoffs is nearing completion. 

Zimbabwe international Tinotenda Mavasere, 20-year-old center Jurenzo Julius, Nick Hatton and Eduan Keyter were the players to score tries for the Sharks, who look revitalized over the past month and change as a side that has failed to score at least 30 points only once during its ongoing unbeaten charge.

Meanwhile, for Western Province, the competition’s most successful club (34 championships) saw its playoff hopes all but dashed with two rounds remaining, as it has a 10-point gap to make up with both the fourth-place Cheetahs and fifth-place Pumas in order to earn a semifinal spot. 

Western Province has not won a match since toppling the winless Novavit Griffons on Aug. 2.

Congratulations to the Champion of the match 🔥#CarlingCurrieCup #WPvSHA pic.twitter.com/yfPE9ToIB0

— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) August 24, 2024

Pumas Triumph To Keep Pace

The Airlink Pumas, who pulled off one of the most stunning wins in the history of the competition two seasons ago when they captured the 2022 title for their first Currie Cup win, have followed their landmark victory with solid play since, reaching the final again in 2023, where they lost to the Toyota Cheetahs.

The Pumas’ playoff hopes with two rounds remaining still are up in the air, but by getting the job done against the hapless Novavit Griffons this weekend and winning 45-26, the top-half of the table is within their sights.

A ruthless seven-try Pumas squad - with all of the tries scored by different players - ran riot through the Griffons, who are out of playoff contention with a measly three points gained through eight matches, as only point differential separates them and the Toyota Cheetahs (each on 24 points) from the fourth, and final, spot in the upcoming knockout rounds. 

To add the cherry on top of the team’s great day on the road, none of those seven Pumas tries were scored by the competition’s joint top try-scorer, Phiko Sobahle, showcasing just how devastating they can be on the attack. 

Those all are good signs for them with two regular-season matches to go - including an upcoming showdown with the Cheetahs in Round 10 that could be a decider for a playoff berth.

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