The eighth round of SA Rugby’s Women’s Premier Division will take place in Pretoria, Durban, Bloemfontein and Nelson Mandela Bay on Saturday in what will be a frantic scramble by most teams to secure semi-final positions by August when the play-offs will be contested.
Six of the eight teams are still in a realistic position on the log to make it into the top four and such is the unpredictability of results that a number of changes on the log, especially mid-table can be expected.
The Bulls Daisies remains the pacesetters, but there can be no doubt that DHL Western Province are on the surge and with Sanlam Boland Dames worthy of top three status.
With the Sharks Women on the rebound, Border Ladies’ proven abilities and Free State Women improving every week, some exciting action awaits in the next month or so.
Round eight will see four rematches from earlier in the season, as the teams face each other for the second time in the tournament.
The Daisies will not only have home ground advantage at Loftus Versfeld when they face the Border Ladies in the televised game of the weekend, they also have the knowledge of their opponent’s weaknesses and how to exploit them.
Coach Hayden Groepes has moved Vainah Ubisi back to lock after she played on the flank in recent weeks, with her fellow Springbok Sintelitha Noxeke making a return to action after injury.
On paper, the defending champions just seem too strong, but you underestimate the Border Ladies at you own peril, as DHL Western Province realized a couple of weeks ago.
The WP side of course was the only one yet to topple the Daisies and their match against the Sharks Women in Durban will an interesting clash of styles.
The Capetonians’ very promising flyhalf, Anja le Roux, will start in the No 10 jersey for the first time in senior rugby and her distribution skills will be key to unlock the most potent backline in the competition.
The Sharks will be without Mary Zulu, who is on international duty with the SA Student Sevens. They will miss their Springbok flyhalf, but such is the confidence the home side found in recent weeks that they will be a tough team to break down.
The Golden Lions Women secured their only win of the season against the EP Queens in the opening round of the competition and will be keen to repeat that in order to stay relevant on the log.
The Gautengers have selected a strong pack again and it could be another long afternoon for the home side at Wolfson Stadium, where the inclement weather in the region could also play a role.
The Queens will be desperate to get that first win and will be targeting the Lions, who are also struggling to get their season going.
The match-up between Free State Women and Sanlam Boland Dames at Grey College in Bloemfontein will be an interesting one. The home side have shown that they are a tough nut to crack in Bloemfontein and Boland will be smarting after a poor performance in Durban last weekend.
Thomas Chowles, the visitors’ coach, has made several changes to his squad and the proof will be in the pudding if those will be the right ones. The Free State backline is one that can match the Boland outside backs for pace and their counter-attacking abilities pose a serious threat to the Dames’ big pack.
Match information:
Bulls Daisies v Border Ladies
- Date: Saturday 8 June 2024
- Venue: Loftus Versfeld
- Kick-off: 12h05
- Referee: Bulela Qwane
- TV: SuperSport Variety 3
Sharks Women v DHL Western Province
- Date: Saturday 8 June 2024
- Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park B-field, Durban
- Kick-off: 13h00
- Referee: Aneka Fick
EP Queens v Golden Lions Women
- Date: Saturday 8 June 2024
- Venue: Wolfson Stadium, Nelson Mandela Bay
- Kick-off: 13h00
- Referee: Angie Bezuidenhout
Free State Women v Sanlam Boland Dames
- Date: Saturday 8 June 2024
- Venue: Grey College A-field, Bloemfontein
- Kick-off: 15h00
- Referee: Siyanda Pikoli
- Livestream: SA Rugby YouTube Page
Miss Rum Punch
Sport Trivia: Who won the WBA junior lightweight title in 1986 and sucessfully defended it 12 times? Answer: Brian Mitchell. He started his boxing career in 1981, and the majority of his fights were abroad due to the political status in South Africa. He finished his career with 46 wins, one loss and two draws. His 12 successful defences of the junior-lightweight title are a record for that boxing division.
Dream Killer
England is the only team in the northern hemisphere to have won the Rugby World Cup – Given the game’s origins in England, statistically southern hemisphere teams are wayyyyyyy better at rugby. In total there have been 9 Rugby World Cups. New Zealand have won 3, South Africa have won 3, Australia have won it twice, and England are the only team in the northern hemisphere to have won it. Maybe the Rugby World Cup 2023 hosted in France will be another win for a European team though!