The Sanlam Boland Cavaliers reclaimed the fourth place in the SA Cup standings after a 52-3 victory against the Border Bulldogs in East London on Saturday, 12 April.
Although the scoreboard reflects an easy win for the Boland side, Cavas head coach Hawies Fourie praised his side for showing resilience in difficult conditions. The game was played at Police Park field, the home base of the Police Rugby Club in East London.
Photo by Given Nathaniel
According to Fourie, his team had to get used to handling the ball in windy conditions while also navigating a challenging playing surface.
“It was a difficult game against Border; we played on a club field with a lot of uneven patches [of grass] on the surface,” Fourie explains. “It made it difficult because the grass was not properly cut, and it is quite a small field.
“There was a very strong wind blowing, so [very] difficult conditions.”
The Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ boss, however, also credited the Bulldogs team for putting his team under pressure early on, with the hosts looking desperate to snap a five-game losing streak.
“I must say the Border guys pitched up. They made it difficult for us at the breakdown to get quick ball, and they defended quite well.
“However, I was not satisfied with our first-half performance, especially from our forwards.
“We didn’t scrum well and conceded two scrum penalties early in the game, but then we reacted well and played a bit better in the second half.
Photo by Given Nathaniel
“It was difficult to handle the ball well with a strong wind, and I would have liked for us to score a bit more tries. Points difference is going to be vital at the back end of the competition,” Fourie added.
Points difference is certainly going to play a vital role in the final three SA Cup league rounds. Boland, the NovaVit Griffons (fifth), and the Valke (sixth) sit on 20 log points. The Cavas certainly gave their points difference a huge injection with the points difference column reflecting 89, with the Griffons on 69 and Valke on -29 points.
Following the conclusion of nine SA Cup round-robin matches, the top four automatically qualify for the semi-finals and book their spot to compete with the top dogs in the Currie Cup Premier Division later this year.
And of how important it is going to be to rake in points as the squad prepares for the Easter weekend break before tackling the Leopards in Wellington on 26 April, Fourie continued: “I would have loved to see us score two to three tries more in the last 20 minutes, but on the positive side it was good to see us not concede any tries. The guys worked hard on defence and closed the gaps, and when there was a chance to turn over possession, they took it.
“We are in the mix on 20 log points with the Valke and the Griffons and only two behind the Cheetahs, so there is everything to play for in the next three games. We are now four teams fighting it out for two positions in the Currie Cup Premier Division.”