The third round of the Women’s Premier Division will expose six of the eight teams in the competition to big stadium atmosphere this weekend and add to the exposure of the game to a wider rugby audience.
The Bulls Daisies (v EP Queens at Loftus Versfeld), Golden Lions Women (v Sanlam Boland Dames at Emirates Airline Park) and DHL Western Province (v Free State Women at DHL Stadium) will get a feel of the big stadium experience on Saturday in what promises to be another stellar round of action and tries. All these matches are curtain-raisers to Vodacom URC encounters.
In the other match of the weekend, the Sharks Women will travel to East London to take on the Border Ladies.
The Daisies and Dames are the only undefeated teams after the first two rounds and based on that form, will be favourites in their matches against the Queens and Lions respectively.
Even more so the Daisies as they will be playing at home against a struggling EP side who could only muster 12 points on the scoreboard in two games. The team from Pretoria, on the other hand, scored 13 tries in their two outings.
The Dames have a much tougher task as they aim to beat a very capable Golden Lions side in Johannesburg. The Emirates Airline Park experience will be new to the home side as well, as they normally play their home games at other venues in the City of Gold.
The Lions will also face a different Boland side compared to previous years though, as a potent backline now complement the always rough-and-tumble pack.
The scrum contest will no doubt be a highlight in this match, while at the back, Lions centre Piwokuhle Nyanda and her Springbok Women midfield partner, Dames outside centre, Veroeshka Grain, will provide an interesting tussle.
The Sharks Women will be wary of the Ladies, who kicked on nicely last weekend to score six tries against the EP Queens. The team from East London are coming together nicely as a unit, but the experience in the Sharks backline could be a factor at Baysville High School.
DHL WP coach Stanley Raubenheimer tweaked his pack, with Springbok Women loose forward Nomsa Mokwai starting at flanker in her first appearance in this year’s competition.
In a significant move, livewire scrumhalf Camelitha Malone will start at fullback and will no doubt use any opportunity to counter-attack against a Free State side that showed real grit on defence against the Daisies last weekend.
The Free Staters have conceded 12 tries already in their opening two matches and will have to improve significantly in that area if they want to run the Cape side close.
Match information:
Bulls Daisies v EP Queens
Date: Saturday 27 April
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 11h00
Referee: Bulela Qwane
TV: SuperSport (211)
Golden Lions Women v Sanlam Boland Dames
Date: Saturday 27 April
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Angie Bezuidenhout
Livestream: SA Rugby YouTube page
Border Ladies v Sharks Women
Date: Saturday 27 April
Venue: Baysville High School, East London
Kick-Off: 14h00
Referee: Sinesipho Foloti
DHL Western Province v Free State Women
Date: Saturday, 27 April
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: 15h50
Referee: Siyanda Pikoli
Brick Mooch
Lala Amarnath is the only bowler to dismiss Don Bradman in Test cricket – This happened in the 1948 Brisbane Test.
Mad Irishman
Although the Nelson is feared by some players, there is no solid evidence that it is actually inauspicious. Regardless, some people choose to take precautions. Umpire and former cricketer David Shepherd would lift one leg up when it is a bowler’s turn to run in to bowl and the score is at 111. Fans would cheer him on when he did this.