The SA Cup goes down to the wire with only one semi-final spot and a coveted qualifying place in the Currie Cup Premier Division at stake in the last round of league matches this weekend.

All five matches in round 9 kick off at 3pm on Saturday and the top three teams, the Pumas, Griquas and Cheetahs have secured their places in the semi-finals, where they will be joined by one of Boland, Griffons or the Valke in the final playoff qualifying spot.

None of Eastern Province, SWD Eagles, the Leopards or Border are in contention for the semi-finals.

The teams that managed to end in the top four positions after this weekend’s ninth round qualify for the forthcoming Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, while the rest will battle each other in the First Division.

Defending champions, Griquas host the Cheetahs in Kimberley, while the important clash between the Griffons and Pumas will be staged in Welkom.

In Potchefstroom, the Leopards and Eagles will be hoping to finish the competition on a high, while Eastern Province can make life difficult for the Boland Kavaliers in a crunch battle in Gqeberha. The fifth match is in Kempton Park, where the Valke should have too much firepower for the Border Bulldogs.

It will be a case of playing to consolidate their top-three positions for Griquas and the Cheetahs, with both teams probably using this encounter to give some much-needed squad rotation with the all-important semi-finals looming.

Griquas’ only blemish on their league form is a loss to the Pumas two weeks ago, while the Cheetahs have managed to steady the ship and stacked up six wins after a slow start.

The men from Bloemfontein can still finish second on the log, but to do that, they must beat their neighbours by a big margin while also denying them a try-scoring bonus-point.

The Griffons must win to stay in contention, which will be a challenging task against the unbeaten log leaders from Mpumalanga, although they have home ground advantage in Welkom.

Last season, the Pumas comfortably defeated the Griffons in Nelspruit, and with the momentum on the side of the visitors, the Northern Free Staters face an uphill battle.

Boland have everything to play for as they are currently in the driving seat to clinch that fourth spot. However, Allister Coetzee’s Eastern Province side have won four of their eight games, including last week’s home meeting with the Griffons, and will take momentum and belief into the clash.

The Kavaliers’ two-point home loss to the Pumas meant they collected two crucial points, which means a bonus-point victory at the NMU Stadium will secure them a spot in the semi-finals.

With the Valke playing the last-placed and winless Border at home on the East Rand, all the pressure will be on Boland and the Griffons not to lose in their last league games.

Round 9 Fixtures, Saturday 10 May (3pm kick-off):
Griquas vs Cheetahs
Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley

Griffons vs Pumas
Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom

Leopards vs SWD Eagles
Venue: Olen Park, Potchefstroom

Eastern Province vs Boland Kavaliers
Venue: Nelson Mandela University Stadium, Gqeberha

Valke vs Border Bulldogs
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park

Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images