The Rugby Premier League title race is intensifying with three teams now firmly in the battle for the title.
FNB Grootfontein, FNB Wanderers and Trustco United all picked up bonus point wins to move further away from the chasing pack at about the halfway stage of the league.
Grootfontein remained at the top of the log on 37 points, but they had to pull out all the stops to beat a determined FNB Reho Falcon 45-41 at Rehoboth.
In a match of fluctuating fortunes, the lead changed hands several times before Grootfontein secured their victory
Falcons took the early lead and held a 12-point advantage leading 33-21 early in the second half, but Grootfontein made a late comeback to secure a narrow win.
They scored six tries with captain Wicus Jacobs scoring two and Johannes du Plessis, Pieter-Daniel Kok, Eloff du Plessis and Oliver Mouton one each, while Franklin Busch added 15 points with the boot.
For Falcons, scrumhalf Dillon Kahman had a great match, scoring four tries, while Hillion Beukes and Ashton van Wyk scored one each, with Van Wyk adding four conversions and a penalty for a personal tally of 16 points.
Wanderers and United follow two points behind Grootfontein after contrasting victories against FNB Kudus (36-21) and FNB Western Suburbs (61-27) respectively.
At the Wanderers field, the defending champions Kudus came with a big forward onslaught in a fiery match that saw tempers boil over at times.
Kudus took an early lead when their impressive eighth man Ja-Tamson van der Berg went over from a driving maul, but Wanderers struck back when flanker Dhale Cloete barged over from a line out maul.
Kudus put Wanderers under pressure with some big scrums but the home side took the lead for the first time when centre SW Kuhn rounded off a counter-attack with a try behind the posts.
Their lead didn’t last long though as Kudus immediately struck back with a try by fullback Lloyd Jacobs after a blindside break by Aston Mukwiilongo and with Aurelio Plato adding the conversion they went 14-12 ahead.
Wanderers regained the lead after the break after Kistings Minyoi finished off a flowing attack, and they took a decisive 31-14 lead when speedster Jaylon Carew rounded off two attacks in the right hand corner.
Mukwiilongo once again inspired another Kudus comeback, sending Ray-Shawn Shoombe over for a try, but Wanderers sealed their victory with a great try by SW Kuhn, after an impromptu line-out maul and forward drive through the backline.
It was an important win by Wanderers against a fellow title contender, but Kudus will draw hope from a great performance, especially in the scrums where they gave Wanderers a tough time.
United, meanwhile, stayed in the hunt with an impressive nine-try victory against Suburbs.
Centre Jandre Esterhuysen and wing Irongwa Atshivudhi scored two tries each, and Suramie Kambombo, Hanreco van Zyl, Elzandro van Wyk, Johan Brockman and Enrique Husselmann one each, while Husselmann added eight conversions.
FNB Unam bounced back from their defeat to Kudus a fortnight ago with a convincing 54-21 victory against FNB Dolphins. They scored eight tries in the process, with Keanan Diergaardt scoring three, Willon du Plessis two, and Bronwin Willemse, Don Juan Beukes and Aljarreau Zaahl one each, with Zaahl added seven conversions.
Dolphins scored three tries through Reonadio Doeseb, Maughan Jarman and Kevin Abrahams, while Jarman added one conversion and Demashu Maya two.
