Happy Sunday for Cheetahs, Griquas after claiming Currie Cup wins against Griffons, Sharks

The Griquas turned in a powerful second-half performance to dispatch the Sharks 48-40 in Kimberley while the Cheetahs smashed the Griffons 52-12 in the Free State derby in Sunday's Currie Cup games in the center of the country.

The Sharks, in particular, will regret how they let a 28-10 half-time slip through their hands as the hosts ran them ragged in the second half.

The teams may have scored six tries each, but the Sharks were far behind the eight-ball in the second half against a home side that needed to redeem itself after losing their opening game 42-19 against the Cheetahs at home.

It was the Sharks who took early charge of the game through four first-half tries from Francois Venter, Fez Mbatha, Cameron Wright, and Yaw Penxe as they looked every bit a team that has players campaigning in the United Rugby Championship and the Heineken Champions Cup.

The Griquas though hit back with a scintillating display of physical and multi-dimensional rugby the Sharks had no response to.

The second-half flood was started by Stephan Smit in the 41st minute, from where the hosts scored tries through Luther Obi, Hanru Sirgel, Johan Mulder, and Janco Uys.

There also was Lubabalo Dobela's accurate boot that converted the five physical tries, along with two penalties that proved to be the difference between the teams.

Those penalties mattered in light of the Sharks' belated fightback where Scottish international Dylan Richardson scored two late tries to narrow the deficit.

In Welkom, a quartet of tries from Munier Hartzenberg helped the Cheetahs bury their neighbours under an avalanche of tries.

Victor Sekekete, Friedle Olivier, Marko Janse van Rensburg and Cohen Jasper finished off the demolition job, with the Griffons' points coming from