Captain against the Suzuki Griquas, Lunathi Nxele has urged his Sanlam Boland Cavaliers side to continue raising their standards despite Saturday’s Round Five SA Cup loss in Kimberley.
The Cavas lost the entertaining and nail-biting clash against the defending SA Cup champions by 41-36, putting the Boland team out of the top four positions in the standings.
It was a game that Boland could have easily won if it was not for going down to 13 players in the final quarter of the match, after flyhalf Ashlon Davids and regular captain Thurlow Marsh both got yellow carded.
The Griquas capitalised on the numerical advantage, scoring three converted tries in the final 10 minutes to resign the Cavas to their third defeat of the season.
Photo: Sanlam Boland Cavaliers flyhalf Ashlon Davids on the attack against the Suzuki Griquas in Round Five of the SA Cup. 05 April 2025. Photo by Louis Botha.
Replacement forward Ludio Williams, however, ensured the Cavas would return back to Wellington with two losing bonus points and keep themselves in contention for a top four finish and qualification to this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division.
To reach the Currie Cup top division, Nxele and his teammates have to win all their remaining games, starting with this coming weekend’s trip to the Eastern Cape, where they face a winless Border Bulldogs team.
Nxele says: “As a team, we know where we stand now. And I am proud of the boys and the way they performed today; they put up their hands regarding the performance. We did our best to lift everything on the field, and it is one of those games where you play against a good team, and then they capitalise on the last moments of the game.
Photo: Sanlam Boland Cavaliers stand-in captain, Lunathi Nxele against the Suzuki Griquas in Round Five of the SA Cup. 05 April 2025. Photo by Louis Botha.
“We will learn from this and bounce back from it, and I am proud of the boys in terms of how they kept Griquas under pressure the entire game and fought for each other until the dying moments.”
“Also, the plan that was given to us by the coaches, we followed it very well, and I guess we [showed] we are a quality side in terms of where we stand as a [bigger] team. From now on, going forward, I think we know what we have to do and what is expected from us.”
Cavas head coach, Hawies Fourie, also lauded his players’ performance despite the loss and says after going down to 13 players against a Griquas team with dangerous outside backs, it would always be tough for his team to hold on to their 10-point lead during the championship minutes of the game.
“They exploited the numerical advantage very well with tactical kicks into gaps behind our defensive line, and when you have only 13 players on the field, you are limited as to how many players you can utilise in the backfield,” Fourie says.
“However, we kept on fighting, and the try we scored in the 80th minute to get the additional bonus point (for losing by less than seven) is going to be vital.
Photo: Sanlam Boland Cavaliers head coach, Hawies Fourie ahead of the Round Four SA Cup match against the Phangela SWD Eagles at Boland Stadium on March 29, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
“We are still in the race to get back inside the top four and qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division and today we proved we can compete with any team in the competition.
“Griquas are the in-form team at the moment, and we managed to give them a hard time on their home ground, so there is a lot of confidence that we can take out of this game,” he adds.
Despite a convincing 71-21 win in the fourth round of the SA Cup against the Phangela SWD Eagles, the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers are still searching for the ‘‘perfect game’’ as they gear up to face the unbeaten Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley this coming weekend.
And according to Cavas head coach, Hawies Fourie, it is going to take an 80-minute performance from his squad against the defending SA Cup champions who have won all four of their previous games with great ease.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 29: Player huddle during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Phangela SWD Eagles at Boland Stadium on March 29, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
As things stand on the SA Cup log, Griquas are sitting pretty at the top with 20 points, followed by the Airlink Pumas, a fellow unbeaten side, who are second on points difference.
The Novavit Griffons (16 points) are in third, followed by the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers on 13 points.
And remaining in the top four is going to be vital to Boland as it will see the Cape Winelands team qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division.
But, for that to happen, Fourie says his team will need to make a huge step-up against a Griquas team that has not shown a lot of weaknesses.
“I believe this win needs to be a stepping stone that we can build on for our remaining games in the SA Cup,” says Fourie. “These remaining five weeks are going to be very important to our campaign, and there are still a lot of teams that are in the race to try and qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division. We are certainly in for an interesting conclusion.”
However, the Kavas boss is concerned about his team’s second-half form over the previous four games and says of how they failed to put up a bigger score against the Eagles: “The game against the Eagles was one of two halves for us as a team. In the first half, we played well, and our tempo and intensity improved.
“We were accurate in executing our skills, but I was disappointed in our second-half performance. It took us a long time to reach the levels we were at in the first half.
“From a first half where we almost did not concede any penalties, we gave away quite a few from making silly errors which cost us our momentum. It is something that has been bothering since our round one game against the Toyota Cheetahs, where we were in the lead by 19-0 and just after halftime, we found ourselves down 26-22, and it is not ideal.
“It is almost the same trend as in the loss to the Griffons where we lost the second half 31-7 and against the Valke we lost the second half 17-5, so it is something we have been looking into as a coaching team and will try to rectify [ahead of the game against Griquas].”
Meanwhile, Fourie believes the win against the Eagles has lifted his team’s spirits but also warns his players to be ready for what could be their toughest challenge as they head to Kimberley.
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers, head coach, Hawies Fourie in conversation with assistant coach, Mornay Kurtz, in the 2025 SA Cup competition. Photo by Marnus Prinsloo.
“Griquas are a well-drilled team, and they are very well coached. They can score long-range tries and are very potent from turnover possession,” says the Cavas boss.
“On attack and defence, they seem to get everything right, so it will be a big challenge for us, but we are looking forward to it, and we’ll go to Kimberley with a bit more confidence than we had from the previous week.
“We owe ourselves a really good performance, especially heading into this stage of the competition. The guys have been working really hard, and we hope that we can build on the performance we had against SWD.”
Saturday’s game between the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers and the Suzuki Griquas from the Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley, kicks off at 14:00 and will be live-streamed on DStv Stream Channel 248.
Towering Sanlam Boland Cavaliers lock Marlyn Williams has had one of the most interesting journeys in becoming one of the most capped players in coach Hawies Fourie’s current squad of players.
And when he runs out for the Cavas in this weekend’s second-round SA Cup game against the NovaVit Griffons in Welkom, it will be the 83rd time that Williams will wear the famous black and gold jersey for the union he first represented as a schoolboy.
Rugby would however take the former Paulus Joubert High School student on a long rugby journey of self-discovery before he would eventually become a fully-fledged Sanlam Boland Cavaliers player in 2016.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 08: Marlyn Williams of Sanlam Boland Cavaliers attempts a charge down on Rewan Kruger of Toyota Cheetahs during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium on March 08, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
Williams was scouted by Eastern Cape Union the Border Bulldogs after seeing the promising lock play for Boland’s u18 Academy team during the 2010 SA Rugby Academy Week in Vryheid.
“I did not think twice about taking up that opportunity because the [then] Zululand Rugby Academy moved down to East London with coach JP Immelman at the head,” Williams says.
“Something special had started at Border back then where we won the u21 B Division title in 2011 by beating Eastern Province 23-19 in the final at Boland [Rugby] Stadium in Wellington that year and then we won promotion to the A Division after a 22-20 win against the Valke the following weekend in Kempton Park.
“It was a privilege to be part of that historic title win and promotion. For me, fresh out of high school, it was also a big thing to move to a different City at such a young age.”
But little did Williams know that Kempton Park would soon become his new home after coach Immelman, in who the lock not only found a coach but also a mentor, left Border and decided to take Williams with him to the Gauteng-based team.
And it did not take long for the second row to make an impact at the Valke, and not yet even turning 21 years old at the time.
“Those were some big years [2012 until 2015] at the Valke as we pushed hard to try and win the Currie Cup First Division title under coach JP’s guidance,” Williams remembers. “Before I knew it I had played 50 games for them and I was still eligible to play for the u21 team.
“Playing my 50th cap for the Valke and not yet turning 21 is definitely one of my fondest memories in my time at the union. Also getting to play in my first Currie Cup First Division Final – although we [narrowly] lost 23-21 to the Griffons in Welkom – is also one of my cherished memories in my time in Kempton Park.”
However, Williams could no longer say no to the burning desire within his heart to return home and play for his beloved Sanlam Boland Cavaliers and joined in 2016, which had been promoted to play in the Currie Cup Premier Division alongside Eastern Province.
Although the Cavas and EP were relegated back to the First Division after finishing seventh and eighth respectively, at the end of the season, Williams stayed with the Cavas and helped them reach the semi-finals of the First Division in 2017. And while 2018 and 2019 proved to be some of the Cavas most testing times Williams stayed committed.
That commitment led to a call from the Suzuki Griquas to play for them from the 2020 season onwards, but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Williams unfortunately never got the chance to don the Griquas’ blue jersey in a competitive game.
“That is when my agent called me up in 2021 and asked if I would be interested in an overseas move to Spanish club Grenika who then played in the country’s top league, División de Honour de Rugby,” Williams said.
“At that stage we had just come out of the global Covid-19 lockdowns and for me it was very important to stay close to family. It was a quite difficult time where it was tough to get used to hearing of close family members and friends passing away. My wife, Whitney, and I had to pray hard about the decision to make the move to Europe.
“It was truly a big challenge to adapt especially to the winter where at times it got as cold as -7 Degrees Celsius which made me quite home-sick at times. But after coming home for Christmas break and then going back I could do that with some new perspective. The time spent in Spain was really good for my development as a player. Especially learning about a different culture of rugby and way of playing the game.”
After the Spanish stint, home came calling again as Williams was back in the Cavas fold and the dream of seeing the Wellington-based team back in the Currie Cup Premier Division was reignited. Helping the team win back-to-back Currie Cup First Division titles in 2023 and 2024.
And of his second coming to a Sanlam Boland team the nephew of former Proteas (South African Rugby Football Federation) captain Pompies Williams says: “The plan was always to return to Boland and get the Cavas back on the map as one of the big unions in South Africa. This region is blessed with so much talent and I knew [as a player from the system] [that] if one day everyone starts to align to make it a great union, we can get to that point where we can compete against the bigger unions.
“This is a wonderful region to play rugby in and in 2016 when I returned for the first time to come and play for the union where I started as a junior and take it further is very special.”
Williams will be playing in his 83rd game for Sanlam Boland Cavaliers when they take on the NovaVit Griffons on Saturday at 15:00 in Welkom in the SA Cup and edge the lock closer to the magical mark of 100 caps.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 08: Marlyn Williams of Sanlam Boland Cavaliers tackled by George Lourens of Toyota Cheetahs during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium on March 08, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
However this impending milestone – that could be reached before the end of the 2025 season is the last thing on Williams’ mind.
“To me it is about being well prepared before going out on the field to help my team win than to rank up caps. It is important to contribute every week to the team and the union’s success. When the union and team are doing well, then you as an individual automatically do well,” he explains.
“But, if my body holds up and if I can get to 100 caps it will be truly special and an honour.”
The Cavas made a wonderful start to the SA Cup after last week beating the Toyota Cheetahs 45-29 at Boland Stadium.
To Williams, that win means nothing if they can’t back it up this weekend against the Griffons and says: “To start with a win against a formidable team like the Cheetahs was great. We have been working hard since August last year to make sure we have a successful SA Cup campaign and last week’s win can be seen as one of the rewards of putting in that work during our big off-season.
It does not help you set yourself big goals and not get to bear the fruits of that labour.
However, we are not going to get ahead of ourselves after just one win. We have achieved nothing yet so it is going to be important to stay humble and keep on working hard for each other. I am very excited about the road ahead.
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers name an unchanged starting XV ahead of clash with the NovaVit Griffons
An unchanged starting lineup was announced by the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers ahead of their Round Two SA Cup encounter against the NovaVit Griffons. Junior Springbok and former DHL Western Province player, Lamla Nunu is the only change to the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers matchday squad.
The encounter is set to take place at the Down Touch Investment Stadium in Welkom this Saturday, 15 March 2025. Kick-off is at 15:00 and the match will be streamed live on DStv OTT channel 950.
Vernon Matongo, who is on loan from the DHL Stormers, has been ruled out after sustaining a minor neck injury in the 45-29 victory against the Toyota Cheetahs, in Round One of the competition. Hawies Fourie, head coach of the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers named Nunu among the replacements who came in for the injured Matongo.
“We are fortunate that we only have one injury after the game against the [Toyota] Cheetahs,” said Fourie. “Vernon Matongo has a bit of a neck injury, so we will assess his condition further. In the meantime, he will be replaced by Lamla Nunu.”
Fourie highlighted the importance of consistency in selection, rewarding the players who performed well in the opening match. After a positive performance against the Toyota Cheetahs, the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers will be focused on delivering a more clinical and complete 80-minute performance.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 08: Hawies Fourie (Head Coach) of Sanlam Boland Cavaliers during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium on March 08, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
“The rest of the team will stay the same. We need to maintain consistency because that brings success. The [NovaVit] Griffons will pose a different challenge, and we’ll have to adapt to both their approach and the playing conditions in Welkom. There’s a chance of rain on Saturday, which could influence our tactics.
“We’ve improved our game management, particularly in the middle stages, and not just performing in the opening and closing twenty minutes. The [Novavit] Griffons are a quality side with experience in the Currie Cup, so we know we’ll need a strong performance to secure the win.”
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers: 15 Darian Hock, 14 Duren Hoffman, 13 Xavier Mitchell, 12 Cornal Hendricks (v/c), 11 Lunathi Nxele, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Thurlow Marsh (c), 7 Khwezi Mafu, 6 Keenan Opperman, 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Michael Benadie, 3 Doctor Booysen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Wayrin Losper Replacements: 16 Neil Rautenbach, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 19 Schalk Oelofse, 20 Gift Dlamini, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Garth April, 23 Jurick Lewis
NovaVit Griffons vs Sanlam Boland Cavaliers Date: Saturday, 15 March 2025 Venue: Down Touch Investment Stadium, Welkom Kick-off: 15h00 Live Broadcast: DStv OTT channel 950 Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
After helping the Sanlam Boland Dames get to within one away from reaching the Women’s Premier Division Rugby competition captain Aseza Hele, Veroeshka Grain, Nomawethu Mabenge, and Maceala Samboya will this week put all their focus into pushing for spots in South Africa’s Women’s Rugby World Cup squad.
The Springbok Women gathered on Monday for a World Cup training group at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.
It is the national team’s fourth alignment camp ahead of this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup taking place in England from 22 August to 27 September.
Of the four Sanlam Boland Dames at this week’s alignment camp hard-working flanker and team captain Hele and outside back Mabenge has had the honour of representing their country at the previous Women’s Rugby World Cup held in New Zealand in 2022.
Hele will especially be determined to add to her 25 caps later on this year while Mabenge is one of the most lethal strikers in terms of try-scoring for the Bok Women with 14 five-pointers in 18 Tests.
Dual-code Springbok Grain and rookie Samboya will also look to put their hands up at this week’s camp before heading back to training with the Sanlam Boland Dames where the Wellington based side will take on Western Province Women in a do-or-die clash on 22 March at City Park Stadium in Athlone for a place in the WPD Grand Final.
Meanwhile, dual international Rights Mkhari will join the Springbok Women training squad at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport this week for their fourth alignment camp of the year.
The versatile Mkhari just made a successful return to international rugby via the Springbok Women’s Sevens team at the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger tournaments in Cape Town over the last two weekends, where South Africa finished third and second respectively.
A number of regulars at earlier camps this year will be absent from the week-long gathering, which kicks off in Stellenbosch on Monday. Luchell Hanekom, Roseline Botes, Nobuhle Mjwara and Lusanda Dumke are all out injured.
Vainah Ubisi, who is recovering from knee surgery, will attend the camp for the first time this year.
Four of the five overseas-based Boks are back with their teammates. Catha Jacobs (Leicester Tigers Women), Lindelwa Gwala (Ealing Trailfinders Women), Babalwa Latsha and Danelle Lochner (Harlequins Women) have completed their club commitments abroad, with only Sinazo Mcatshulwa still playing in France.
Reaction audio from Sanlam Boland Cavaliers head coach, Hawies Fourie, and Sanlam Boland Cavaliers captain, Thurlow Marsh, can be downloaded here.
Lunathi Nxele’s hat-trick of tries gave the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers the perfect start to their SA Cup campaign in Wellington on Saturday as they beat the Toyota Cheetahs by 45-29 at Boland Stadium.
The home side made a strong start to the match and took on the Toyota Cheetahs with some direct play before shifting it to their electrifying backs to exploit space out wide.
At set-piece time coach Hawies Fourie’s men also outsmarted the visitors by disrupting the Toyota Cheetahs’ lineouts and putting the Bloemfontein side’s scrum under pressure. The pressure led to Nxele scoring his first try within the first 10 minutes of play for a 7-0 lead as flyhalf Ashlon Davids converted the score.
The left-winger scored his second after more enterprising play from Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ forwards and backs to go 12-0 up after 15 minutes.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 08: Lunathi Nxele of Sanlam Boland Cavaliers scores a try during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium on March 08, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
At the 20-minute mark outside centre Xavier Mitchell thought he had scored the home side’s third five-pointer, as the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers turned over a Toyota Cheetahs line out and quickly played out wide, with Mitchell kicking the ball ahead but just not getting enough control as he tried to grab it while diving over the white line.
However, the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers did not have to wait too long for their third try after hooker Sidney Tobias crashed over from a powerful lineout drive – setup from a penalty they won in the scrum in the 23rd minute – to put his team 19-0 ahead.
The home side ended the opening half by conceding two consecutive tries, first, it was winger Prince Nkabinde and then loose forward Pierre Uys that saw their lead cut to just seven points as the teams hit the sheds with the halftime score 19-12.
After the break, an early penalty goal by Davids put the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers 22-12 ahead. Director of Rugby for the Toyota Cheetahs, Frans Steyn must have had a stern talking to his players because they came out firing in the second stanza and took the lead for the first time. Two tries apiece by replacement scrumhalf Jandré Nel and pivot George Lourens handed the Toyota Cheetahs the lead for the first time in the match, 25-29.
WELLINGTON, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 08: Thurlow March (Captain) of Sanlam Boland Cavaliers during the SA Cup match between Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium on March 08, 2025 in Wellington, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
The sending off (yellow card) of replacement scrumhalf Godlen Masimla also added to the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ mid-game stutter as the Toyota Cheetahs threatened to start running away with the game.
Nxele’s third five-pointer, however, came against the run of play and turned the tide for the home side. The hosts regained the lead when the speedster pounced on a loose ball from a threatening Toyota Cheetahs attack, to dot down, completing his hat-trick.
Rejuvenated by Nxele’s third try the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers dominated the final quarter as replacement playmaker Garth April slotted two penalties to put the game out of reach for the visitors, before right winger Duren Hoffman delivered the final blow by scoring the home side’s fifth five-pointer, April adding the extras, 45-29
SCORERS (Half-time score between brackets):
SANLAM BOLAND CAVALIERS 45 (19) – Tries: Lunathi Nxele (3), Sidney Tobias and Duren Hoffman. Conversions: Ashlon Davids (3) and Garth April. Penalties: Davids (2) and April (2)
TOYOTA CHEETAHS 19 (12) – Tries: Prince Nkabinde, Pierre Uys, Jandré Nel (2), George Lourens. Conversions: George Lourens and Cohen Jasper.
