DEFENDING champions Blue Bulls ripped the chase wide open in the Currie Cup when they trounced Free State 38-17 in a weekend of topsy-turvy results. The Natal Sharks, however, escaped a possible upset defeat at the hands of Boland in the southern wine-farming town of Wellington to claim the log-leadership. The Sharks, with 30 points, now head a seven-pronged race to the September semifinals comprising Free State with 28 points, the Lions and Mpumalanga (27 each), the Bulls and South Western Districts (25 each) and the Falcons (22).