The Western Province Super League A season is set up for a thrilling finish.
With the format of the competition having changed this year – with the top six teams all having a shot at winning the title in the playoffs at the end of the campaign, it’s the battle for the final places that will entertain fans as the season nears the end of the round-robin phase.
A number of games were played last night, with Victorians hosting Villager at the Danie Craven Stadium, UWC welcoming Hamiltons and Belhar travelled to UCT, while Maties entertained St Georges.
If those matches went according to form, it wouldn’t have changed the log positions of the teams involved much.
As it stands, defending champions and current log leaders Maties log certain of a home semifinal in the playoffs.
In the fight to join them for a home semi in the final four are False Bay and Durbell.
Further down the table, Hamiltons look a certain bet for a top-four finish, leaving two spots open for the knockout phase.
Surprise package UniMil currently occupy fifth spot, with UCT in sixth and Vics hot on their heels in seventh.
A bonus-point win for UCT against Belhar last night would have opened up a seven-point gap on eighth-placed Brackenfell, who need other results to go their way if they still wish to make it to the final round.
With four rounds left for some and five for others – due to the scheduling – the calculators will be out.
And the mathematicians will be out in full force when Hammies host Vics on Saturday.
The hosts for that encounter still have a very slim outside chance of making the top two, while Vics need a win if they want to keep the pressure on the top six.
While Brackenfell will be hoping for a Hamiltons win in that encounter, their opponents on Saturday, UniMil, might want to get behind Vics if they still have hopes of catching Hamiltons in fourth place.
Coach Isma-Eel Dollie then will hope that there are no more further slip-ups from his men if Vics spring the surprise in that
encounter.
With only one log point after 11 outings, it looks certain that Belhar will be playing in the Super League B next season.
St Georges look like the most likely team to join them in SLB and having faced Maties last night, with UCT awaiting this weekend, their dream of staying up in SLA might be all but over after this weekend.
All first team games kick off at 4pm
UWC v False Bay, UniMil v Brackenfell, Stellenbosch v Tygerberg, St Georges v UCT, NTK v Villager, Hamiltons v Victorians, Durbell v SK Walmers.
UniMil 37 Victorians 26, UCT 12 Durbell 31, Tygerberg 10 SK Walmers 10, St Georges 15 False Bay 35, Hamiltons 41 Brackenfell 15, Belhar 7 UWC 34.