Boland Kavaliers delivered a ruthless 41-3 victory over neighbours Stormers XXIII in Wellington on Sunday to extend their unbeaten start to the Currie Cup warm-up campaign.
The hosts, buoyed by last weekend’s win over the Bulls XV, produced another dominant display in front of their home support, with winger Jayden Bantom compiling a remarkable 26 points. Bantom crossed for three tries and added four conversions and a penalty as Boland overpowered their Cape rivals.
Boland raced out of the blocks, striking twice in the opening 10 minutes to seize control of the contest. Domenic Smit finished off the first attack of the afternoon, before Xavier Mitchell added a second try to give the Kavaliers a 10-0 lead and set the tone for a one-sided encounter.
Stormers XXIII struggled to turn possession into territory and points against a well-organised Boland defence. Their only reward of the first half came in the 19th minute, when Dominic Malgas slotted a penalty to narrow the deficit to 10-3.
Bantom responded before the interval with a penalty of his own, restoring Boland’s momentum and sending the home side into the break with a deserved 13-3 advantage.
Kavaliers turn dominance into rout
Any hopes of a Stormers XXIII fightback were quickly extinguished after half-time as Boland tightened their grip on the match.
A powerful driving maul early in the second period provided the platform for Joshua Eras to force his way over the line, stretching the lead and further sapping the visitors’ resistance.
From there, Bantom took centre stage. Exploiting space out wide and capitalising on Boland’s control up front, the speedster completed his hat-trick of tries to secure the bonus point and underline the gulf between the sides. With his reliable boot adding the extras, the scoreline swelled to 41-3 by the final whistle.
The emphatic win, coming on the back of the previous week’s triumph over the Bulls XV, highlights the Kavaliers’ strong build-up to the new Currie Cup campaign and consolidates their position near the top of the early standings.
Cheetahs lead early chase
Elsewhere in Round 2, Cheetahs continued their perfect start with a 43-21 victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Bloemfontein on Friday night, securing a second successive bonus-point win.
Saturday’s fixtures brought a return to form for the Lions, who bounced back from their opening-round defeat by overpowering the Pumas 52-29 in Johannesburg. Defending champions Griquas also reignited their challenge with a commanding 56-26 win against the Bulls XV in Kimberley.
After two rounds, Cheetahs sit top of the table on 10 points from their two bonus-point victories, one point clear of the unbeaten Kavaliers. Lions are third on seven points, followed by Griquas on six, Hollywoodbets Sharks XV on five, Stormers XXIII on four, Pumas on three and Bulls XV on one.
Round 3 fixtures
The third round begins on Friday, 31 July, when Griquas host Cheetahs in Kimberley at 19:00 in a meeting of two early contenders.
Two matches follow on Saturday, 1 August. Stormers XXXII welcome Hollywoodbets Sharks XV to the Cape Town Stadium at 15:00, before Lions face Bulls XV at Ellis Park in Johannesburg at 17:05.
Round 3 concludes on Sunday, when Boland Kavaliers return to the Boland Stadium in Wellington to take on the Pumas at 15:00 as they look to maintain their unbeaten run.
