The Boland Cavaliers desperately hung on to narrowly win the first of two promotion/relegation rugby matches against the Pumas 36-35 at Wellington on Saturday.

The result sets up an intriguing second leg in Witbank on Friday, with the team having the most log points after the double-header earning the right to play in the Premier Division next year.

The Cavaliers earned five points for the win, but the Pumas managed to snatch two for scoring four tries and finishing within seven points. That may yet prove to be crucial in the final analysis.

The first leg was a high-scoring affair, producing eight tries in the first half alone as both teams collected what may yet prove to be a valuable bonus point before the halftime break.

The Pumas silenced the small crowd before many of them had even had time to take their seats, centre Hyron Thyse running onto a grubber kick in the first minute for right wing Braam Pretorius to convert.

But any thoughts that this would be a one-sided affair were quickly dispelled when the Bolanders responded immediately, scrumhalf Marnus Hugo going over under the posts in the fourth minute after a break by flyhalf Elgar Watts and a searing run upfield by centre Cornal Hendricks. Fullback Justin Peach kicked the extra points.

With both sides trading tries, primarily thanks to poor defence, the Pumas went 14-7 up after just seven minutes when wing Allistair Kettledas intercepted from 40 metres after a suicidal pass inside his own half by flanker Carel Hoffman.

The Bolanders drew level after 14 minutes when referee Jonathan Kaplan awarded the home side a penalty try after adjudging that the Pumas had collapsed a rolling maul near their line.

With the match showing little structure to speak of, and the Cavaliers electing to kick for the corners instead of at posts, Pretorius looked to calm things down a bit when he landed an 18th-minute penalty to put the Pumas three points in front.

The Cavaliers had a chance to level matters after 25 minutes when they won a penalty from yet another collapsed rolling maul but Peach kicked for touch and Boland lost the subsequent lineout.

But they didn?t have to wait long for their reward, eighthman Zandre Jordaan powering over for the first of his two excellent first-half tries, begun by a counter-attack by quicksilver wing Deon Scholtz after the Pumas had miscued a clearing kick.

But the home team?s lead was short-lived: scrumhalf Jacques Coetzee sliced through from a simple 8-9 movement from a five-metres scrum six minutes from the break to give the Pumas the temporary advantage.

Peach equalised from the restart with a monster 55-metre penalty but the Pumas got their fourth try on the stroke of halftime when flanker Jaco Bouwer dived over from a forward rumble.

Leading 27-22 and with the hooter having already sounded, the Pumas looked eager to simply get off the field but they forgot to defend their lines, resulting in Jordaan having the final say.

The exciting No 8 rounded off an excellent counter for Peach to convert and bring up the bonus point for four tries.

The second half was a tighter affair with the Pumas going closer early on, Pretorius missing a long-range penalty and prop Ashley Buys being brought down on the corner flag with the line at his mercy.

Kettledas however put the Pumas in front with 20 minutes to go with his second try after more sloppy defensive work, after which Pretorius kicked his second penalty to open up a six-point gap.

But there was to be late drama when left wing Wendal Wehr dived over in the left-hand corner with eight minutes remaining after a clean break in midfield by Peach, who then converted heroically to send the crowd into ecstacy.