Defending Pick n Pay Women Super League 2 champions, the Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women, are home and dry, while the Limpopo Blue Bulls (who have a bye this weekend) are out of the play-offs, but come Saturday and the penultimate round of pool matches in the tournament, there will be heartbreak for some and joy for others.
The undefeated Pumas await the Valke Women in White River; AVBOB Griquas Women, currently in second place on the log, will travel to the Garden Route to face fourth-placed SWD Eagirls; while in Potchefstroom, defeat for either the hosts, the Leopards Women, or the visiting Griffons Women will see their dreams dashed at Olën Park.
The Valke must win at the picturesque White River Rugby Club and will be hoping that the hosts are already thinking of the semi-finals on 22 August.
The East Rand team had a solid season with some tight results going against them, but such is the dominance of the hosts so far this year that it almost seems wishful to think that the defending champions from Mpumalanga, who have an average score of 54-16 after five matches, can lose to the Valke, whose average score is 27-37.
The match-up between the two contenders from the Northern and Southern Cape looks like the hardest to call. The match will be played at Greenhaven Stadium in Groot Brakrivier, right in the heartland of the SWD Eagirls.
The Eagirls will have great support from their home crowd who will understand 10 log points after four matches are not what they are used too. The travelling Griquas side are playing very good rugby currently, with an average score of 42-25 and another win will secure a home semi-final in Kimberley, so they have everything to play for.
The Leopards will still be hurting after their defeat in Potchefstroom last weekend, where they were leading Griquas at halftime, only to concede a late try and faced the consequences.
The Griffons only have a short bus trip from Welkom and will arrive in Potchefstroom knowing that a win will not only put them firmly in the top four, but if other results go their way, they could finish the weekend in third place on the log.
Match information:
SWD Eagirls v AVBOB Griquas Women
Venue: Greenhaven Stadium, Groot-Brakrivier
Date: Saturday 8 August
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Siyanda Pikoli
Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women vs Valke Women
Venue: White River Rugby Club, White River
Date: Saturday 8 August
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Angie Bezuidenhout
Leopards Women v Griffons Women
Venue: Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Date: Saturday 8 August
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Yohane Tredoux
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