Two-time defending SARU Women’s Interprovincial champions, Border, on Saturday secured a home final in the series as DHL WP’s Women’s team suffered a loss in Durban.
Border defeated the Blue Bulls, who also entered the match unbeaten, 38-10 at the BCM Stadium in East London to remain the only unbeaten side in the tournament. The victory also pushed them seven points ahead on the top of the log standings with one round of matches remaining, meaning that they will finish the round-robin stages as the top side regardless of their result in the final round on August 29.
In the other A Section matches, KwaZulu-Natal defeated DHL Western Province 18-14 in Durban, which marked back-to-back victories for the team, while Eastern Province registered a 60-0 victory against SWD at the Bridgton Sports Grounds in Oudtshoorn.
In the B Section, Free State and the Leopards succeeded in extending their winning runs to three matches as the Bloemfontein team beat Boland 32-5, while the Leopards defeated the Lions 22-5. The Limpopo Blue Bulls, meanwhile, registered a memorable 84-0 win against the Pumas.
In East London, Border scored two first-half tries and limited the Blue Bulls to only a penalty for a 10-3 lead at the break. They added another four tries in the second half to increase their tally to six, while the Blue Bulls managed to cross the tryline only once, which earned the hosts a 38-10 victory.
KwaZulu-Natal, meanwhile, took a narrow 10-6 lead in the first half against DHL Western Province and held on for an 18-14 victory.
The defeat for DHL WP, who were semifinalists last season and finalists in 2013, marked their second in a row. The Cape side are now in third place on the log standings with 11 points and trail the second-placed Blue Bulls by two, meaning the teams will battle it out for the other final berth in two weeks when they go head-to-head in Pretoria.
In Oudtshoorn, Eastern Province delivered a solid display on attack and defence to secure a 60-0 victory against hosts SWD. The victory marked Eastern Province’s first win this season, while SWD was forced to settle for their fourth successive defeat.
The final round of pool matches will be played in two weeks, while the final of the A and B Sections are set to take place in East London on Saturday, September 12.
SARU WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL RESULTS – ROUND FOUR:
A Section:
Border 38 Blue Bulls 10
KwaZulu-Natal 18 DHL Western Province 14
SWD 0 Eastern Province 60
B Section:
Free State 32 Boland 5
Lions 5 Leopards 22
Limpopo Blue Bulls 84 Pumas 0