Lions, Province survive scares to reach semis
Defending champions Golden Lions and Western Province secured the remaining South African Currie Cup semi-finals places after a dramatic climax to the league season this weekend.
Lions came from 13 points behind to sink Sharks 28-16 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg to finish fourth and book an away last-four date with table-toppers Free State Cheetahs.
Province left it late at Newlands in Cape Town with fly-half Robert du Preez kicking a 79th-minute penalty to snatch a 30-28 victory over Western Cape neighbours Boland Cavaliers.
Victory lifted Province from fifth to third and secured a semi-finals visit to second-place Blue Bulls, who had a bye in the final league round.
Cheetahs completed a perfect eight-victory record by recovering from conceding a 13-second try to overwhelm Griquas 63-26 at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in another local derby.
The battle of the two previously winless teams ended 38-30 in favour of visiting Pumas against Eastern Province Kings at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Cheetahs finished with 39 points from a possible 40 followed by Bulls (30), Province (27) and Lions (26) with Sharks (25) just missing out on the knockout phase of the oldest national provincial rugby competition.
Durban-based Sharks arrived late at Ellis Park because of a traffic congestion, but were quickly into their stride and a try by scrum-half Michael Claasens helped build a 13-0 advantage by the 45th minute.
A minute later, Lions skipper and loose forward and 2016 Rio Olympics rugby sevens bronze medallist Kwagga Smith scored a try to trigger a powerful recovery from the hosts.
Full-back Andries Coetzee, who replaced Jaco van der Walt as goal-kicker after the fly-half fluffed three of five attempts, slotted a penalty just past the hour to nudge Lions to an 18-16 lead.
Replacement back Sylvain Mahuza scored a try and Coetzee kicked the conversion and a penalty as the coastal-based Sharks faded at the 1,755-metre (5,750 feet) altitude of Johannesburg.
As the Sharks trooped wearily off the pitch, their only hope of survival was Cavaliers, a team prone to second-half fade-outs this season, winning at Province.
The Cape Town outfit led 17-7 at half-time only to concede two tries within three minutes as prop Francois Hanekom and loose forward Jacques Engelbrecht scored.
With 14 minutes left, Cavaliers were 28-20 ahead and heading for a shock win to match that of Griquas against Lions in Kimberley early in the season.
Substitute lock David Ribbans barged over with seven minutes remaining and Du Preez converted to leave just one point between the sides.
Tiring Boland tried to wind down the clock by taking the ball into a series of rucks only to be penalised and Du Preez, the son of a former Springbok scrum-half, won the match.