The Currie Cup second round delivered surprises, and none bigger than the Golden Lions' emphatic 49-11 win over Griquas in Kimberley.
The Lions had laboured to a 31-27 win over the Pumas in round one while Griquas drew against Western Province at Newlands.
The Kimberley side started as favourites on Saturday, but were blown off the park by a superb start from the Lions.
The Joburg side ran into a 36-6 halftime lead with scrumhalf Jano Vermaak scoring a first-half hat-trick to end the match as a contest inside 40 minutes.
But a hamstring injury to centre Doppies la Grange took some gloss off the Lions win.
The skipper will undergo a fitness assessment this week and is unlikely to be risked against the Leopards on Friday.
The Lions scored eight tries in all, but coach John Mitchell, ever the perfectionist, will be concerned that only three conversion kicks were successful. In tighter games, those kicks will be crucial. Flyhalf Burton Francis will no doubt be doing extra drills.
The Bulls showed character when they fought back to beat the Free State Cheetahs 33-30 at Loftus on Saturday. A second defeat would have been unthinkable for the Bulls and they showed never-say-die attitude after trailing 17-6 at halftime.
Coach Pine Pienaar needed his team to give a stronger showing in the set pieces after last week's poor effort that led to a comfortable win for the Sharks.
And they delivered. Both teams scored three tries. Bulls flyhalf Francois Brummer contributed 18 points while opposite number Sias Ebersohn scored 15 points.
The Sharks scraped through by 23-22 against the Pumas in Nelspruit after trailing 19-16 at halftime. Prop Dale Chadwick scored the decisive try, which flyhalf Freddie Michalak converted five minutes from full time.
Western Province secured a bonus point with a 47-9 win over the Leopards in Potchefstroom on Friday night.
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