Pumas score consolation win over Bulls
Pumas beat Bulls in Nelspruit
JOHANNESBURG, January 11 (ANA) – The Pumas defeated a youthful Bulls 44-14 in their final round Carling Currie Cup fixture at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Sunday, to finish their season on a positive note.
The Lowvelders outscored the Pretoria outfit by six tries to two in the Mbombela Stadium for their third win of the disrupted season.
The home side proved their experience by outscoring the visitors five tries to one for a 34-7 halftime lead.
Despite the hosts sealing a bonus-point win, the result made no difference to the final standings as the Bulls remain top and the Pumas finished sixth.
Earlier, experienced Springbok centre Frans Steyn delivered another masterclass kicking performance in Kimberley on Saturday to steer the Cheetahs to a hard-fought 22-18 win over Griquas.
The clash between Western Province and the Sharks, which was scheduled to take place at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, was cancelled in line with Covid-19 protocols. As a result, the encounter was declared a draw and the teams each received two log points.
Following completion of the round-robin phase, the Bulls finished top of the standings on 39 points with Western Province in second spot on 37, followed by the Sharks (35) and Lions (34).
Saturday’s victory moved the Cheetahs’ tally to 31 points, while the Pumas increased their total to 17 for the season. The winless Griquas completed the campaign in seventh position.
The Currie Cup final has been moved to Saturday, January 30, with the two semi-finals scheduled for the previous weekend – when the Bulls will host theLions in Pretoria, and Western Province taking on the Sharks in Cape Town – with both matches on Saturday, January 23. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman