There were massive wins for the Lions, Bulls and Cheetahs on the second weekend of Currie Cup action as all three sides also kept their unbeaten records firmly intact with impressive results.
The Lions and Bulls both claimed thumping away wins, 75-21 over the Pumas in Mbombela and 52-10 over the Griffons in Welkom respectively, while the Cheetahs notched up another strong home win, 37-17 over Western Province in Bloemfontein.
The Lions result was arguably the biggest surprise as they were expected to receive a much sterner challenge from a Pumas team that has reached the last two Currie Cup finals, while winning the competition in 2022.
The match will be remembered for former Junior Springbok flyhalf Sam Francis announcing himself in his first senior appearance as he scored a try, slotted eight out of 10 conversions and nailed three penalties for a personal haul of 30 points.
Former Pumas outside back Tapiwa Mafura, who was recently signed from the Cheetahs, also returned to haunt his former team with a hattrick of tries off the bench after he replaced recent Springbok debautant Edwill van der Merwe after he picked up a worrying injury in the first quarter.
