French flyhalf Frederic Michalak, in for the injured Pat Lambie, scored 19 points as The Sharks scored a solid 34-20 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs in the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon. The Sharks were full value for this win as they entrenched their position in the top six of the combined Vodacom Super Rugby log. They outscored the home team by four tries to one and collected their fifth try-scoring bonus point of the season – one less than the Hurricanes, who lead this category with six in 2012.

The Toyota Cheetahs will not be satisfied with their performance. They made too many errors and Michalak's try, late in the first half, was a direct result of the home team's defenders not showing enough urgency in falling back to collect a high kick by The Sharks.

The Highlanders brought to an end a five-match Vodacom Super Rugby winning streak by the Vodacom Bulls in Dunedin on Saturday morning when they beat the three time champions by 16-11. It was a classic arm wrestle in which the Highlanders' advantage in territory and possession in the second half paved the way for the victory. The Vodacom Bulls also struggled to convert a clear first-half advantage into points as they simply made too many errors.

In the first half, the Vodacom Bulls dominated the home team, especially in the line-outs, but they weren't properly switched on on attack and as a result only lead by 6-3 at the break.

The Reds were too strong for a gallant MTN Lions side in Brisbane on Saturday morning as the defending Vodacom Super Rugby champions won by 34-20. With 25 minutes left, the game was basically over as a contest as the home team raced to a 28-point lead, but the team from Johannesburg never gave up and scored two well-worked tries in the final 20 minutes to close the gap on the score board by 14 points.

They also played reasonably well in the first half, but the MTN Lions were effectively put away in the first 15 minutes after the break as the Reds upped the pace to score three quick tries, racing from a half-time lead of 13-6 to 34-6 in after 55 minutes.

DHL Western Province were crowned Vodacom Cup champions for the first time ever when they beat GWK Griquas in a nail-biting final at GWK Park in Kimberley on Friday evening. The Capetonians' victory by 20-18 – sealed by a converted try by flanker Rohan Kitshoff in injury time – saw the Vodacom Cup travel south of Bloemfontein for the first time in its 15 year history. The Pampas XV won the title last year from the South Section, but they were based in Potchefstroom.

It was a closely fought contest as DHL WP, coached by John Dobson, remained unbeaten for the season. Last year they only lost one game, but that was in the quarter-final round which saw them knocked out of the competition.