Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Cape Town - Western Province could do a lot worse than swiftly send a magnum - or even a case - of the Cape’s finest cabernet sauvignon in the direction of the Griqualand West Rugby Union.

For Griquas’ nail-biting, yo-yo Currie Cup victory over the Blue Bulls in Kimberley on Saturday, following a 92-point orgy with six tries apiece, has probably gone a long way to sparing the blushes of Province, last season’s losing finalists who are supposedly building a bright new era for themselves but still showing nothing for it in trophy terms.

WP’s spot in the semi-finals is not assured quite yet, but a timely win against minnows the Pumas in the final round of fixtures at Newlands next Saturday - probably even without a bonus point - would do the trick of scraping into fourth.

It is also likely to mean that in a fortnight’s time in the semis Tiaan Liebenberg’s stuttering and injury-curtailed charges will again visit Ellis Park, scene of their 42-25 thumping on Saturday at the hands of the Golden Lions, deservedly now guaranteed top-placed finish regardless of how they fare against the Sharks in Durban (the very last round-robin fixture of 2011) next weekend.

Province owe their lifeline to Griquas - themselves still mathematically in with a semis shout despite very long odds against them - showing real resolve in storming back from a 12-point deficit with some 20 minutes left to beat a Bulls teams who probably succumbed to fatal complacency in an often tetchy encounter.

The Pretoria-based team will be inconsolable about the 48-44 outcome against them as they had been one of the form teams in the closing stages of the competition and seemingly in with a strong title shout after largely overcoming their early-season grief.

But now they, like Griquas, need a Pumas away-win miracle in the shadow of Table Mountain next weekend while still ensuring that they stick to own script by knocking over the Leopards at Loftus on Friday night - something that ought to be a fait accompli.

They will also have to try to run up a cricket score, as they say, in the unlikely quest to dislodge WP from a semis spot, because even if Province fail to secure a four-try bonus point against the Pumas and thus potentially end level on points with Gary Botha’s team, they start next weekend with 58-point superiority over the Bulls in for-and-against terms.

Ironically, while the Bulls had been building up a fine head of steam until Saturday’s disastrous tumble in the Big Hole, WP’s late-campaign form has been contrastingly poor, their last four matches including defeats to the Lions, Cheetahs and Bulls themselves, whilst eking out a narrow win over the Sharks in a notably forgettable affair in Durban.

So a semis berth is basically theirs to gratefully latch onto ... or throw away in particularly ignominious fashion before their long-suffering home faithful.

The other remaining business in round-robin play is probably just to determine which of the Sharks or Cheetahs, currently placed second and third respectively with one log point separating them, secures home rights to their expected semi-final meeting.

Both have home games next Saturday, with the Sharks’ tussle with the Lions obviously the more difficult on paper as things stand, while the Cheetahs entertain Griquas.

But the cause of the Sharks may be aided, of course, if Lions coach John Mitchell opts to rest some of his key, hardest-working campaigners knowing that they are already home and dry for a Johannesburg semi-final.

It has been a long slog for many of the country’s first-class players considering the expanded Super Rugby competition this year, so Mitchell preserving some core names for the knockout phase could hardly be condemned - the Lions have earned that luxury (if they choose to exercise it) by being such convincing log-toppers, haven’t they?

They beat Province by five tries to one on Saturday, the visitors owing much of the relative scoreboard respectability to Demetri Catrakilis’s unerring boot, and losing skipper Liebenberg having the grace to afterwards laud the Lions for their “magnificent rugby” thus far in the competition.

Fullback Jaco Taute was fittingly named man-of-the-match, his forceful all-round performance including two tries, and the 20-year-old is surely one of a new generation of players who will challenge strongly for Springbok honours in a revamped set-up once this World Cup is over...

Last round-robin programme next weekend:

Friday: Blue Bulls v Leopards, Pretoria (19:10). Saturday: Cheetahs v Griquas, Bloemfontein (15:00), Western Province v Pumas, Cape Town (17:05), Sharks v Lions, Durban (19:10).