A 78th minute try by Springbok tighthead prop Werner Kruger sealed a memorable albeit slightly lacklustre win for the Vodacom Bulls in Sydney on Friday morning. The team from Pretoria won their seventh straight Vodacom Super Rugby match over the Waratahs and their third on the trot in Sydney when they triumphed by 27-24 after trialling by 13-10 at the break.

It wasn't easy though – the visitors looked lethargic for most of the game, but the Waratahs could never really capitalise on the Vodacom Bulls' flatfootedness.

The MTN Lions were kept try-less for only the second time this season, but unlike the previous time, they could not win their Vodacom Super Rugby match as the Blues beat them by 25-3 in Auckland on Friday morning. The team from Johannesburg also did not score a try in their round one derby against the Toyota Cheetahs in Johannesburg, but on that occasion they emerged victorious, with flyhalf Elton Jantjies setting a new Vodacom Super Rugby record for nine penalty goals as they won 27-25.

In Auckland, Jantjies only had one shot at goal, which he duly converted into points, as the Blues dominated territory to keep the MTN Lions pinned in their own half.

GWK Griquas will host DHL Western Province, in their first Vodacom Cup final, in Kimberley after the two top sides from the North and South Sections won their semi-finals this weekend. The two best sides in the competition deservedly advanced to the final. DHL Western Province have not lost once this season, while GWK Griquas – along with the MTN Golden Lions the most successful Vodacom Cup side ever with four titles each – only lost one game in the league phase.

GWK Griquas advanced to their seventh Vodacom Cup final when they were simply too good for the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Kimberley on Friday, winning the first semi-final by 30-17.

It was only the second time in 11 Vodacom Cup semi-final appearances that the Vodacom Blue Bulls lost, but this time they simply could not get going. Despite dominating territory and possession in the first half, the visitors were still behind at the break, by 15-5, as GWK Griquas made better use of their opportunities, Leon Karemaker and Rocco Jansen scoring tries.

The home side were supreme in the scrums and also defended very well. The Blue Bulls pulled back late in the first half when Sampie Mastriet scored, but then went further behind again when their former team-mate Francois Brummer crossed the chalk.

Midway through the second half, Jan Serfontein and Daniel Adongo scored to close the gap and set up a thrilling end to see the Vodacom Blue Bulls behind by only 17-22 with ? minutes to play, but Griquas kept their composure and sealed the win at the death when Jean Stemmet scored their fourth try.

On Saturday, DHL Western Province beat the Ford Pumas, who finished second in the North Section, by 33-20 at DHL Newlands in Cape Town.

Province flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis had another good afternoon with the boot, slotting seven from eight for a personal haul of 18 points as the Capetonians progressed to their first-ever Vodacom Cup final.

DHL WP led by 23-12 at the break and controlled the game from the outset, setting the platform upfront for the backs to show their skill.

But early in the second half, the gap closed to 23-17 as JW Jonker, captain of the Ford Pumas, capitalised on a mistake by the home team.

Hooker Sidney Tobias, left wing Ederies Arendse, both in the first half, and loose forward Nic Fenton-Wells, who is also their captain, scored DHL WP's tries.

In the end, DHL WP's defence, a hallmark of the rugby produced in Cape Town recently, coupled with errors by the Ford Pumas, were the main features of this game.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the NBA announced today. James earns the honor for the third time in four seasons and becomes the first player since Michael Jordan to win at least three MVPs.

James totaled 1,074 points, including 85 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 voters that consisted of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote. For the third consecutive season, the NBA and Kia Motors America gave fans the opportunity to submit their votes by ranking their top five choices through a dedicated Web page on NBA.com. The fan vote counted as one vote and was compiled with the 120 media votes to determine the winner. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.