Bulldogs vow to end their season of woes

BORDER Bulldogs are gearing up for the only Vodacom Cup 2015 match they can possibly win when they take on Boland Cavaliers at the University of Fort Hare in Alice on Saturday afternoon.

They have lost all six of their previous matches and this is the last, which if they lose, theirs would have been a dismal Vodacom Cup run.

Having been whipped left, right and centre, perhaps the change of venue will bring about good luck for the struggling Border.

This will be their first home game played outside East London as part of the Vodacom Cup developmental theme.

Bulldogs co-coach Elliot Fana has appealed to rugby fans in Nkonkobe Local Municipality to come out in numbers to support the team.

Fana believes this is a do-or-die game to avoid a winless Vodacom Cup 2015 record.

“This game obviously carries more weight because if we lose it, we would have achieved a winless record in the competition which is not good at all,” said Fana.

“We will be going all out for a win which we deem important as it will give us momentum going into the Currie Cup First Division.

“Above all we are extremely excited that the game will be going to Alice where there is also a rich history of the sport of rugby,” he continued.

“It is good that provincial rugby can also be taken to rural areas.”

According to Fana, Bulldogs were on track but were just unlucky to be losing games.

Among problems they faced was defending lineouts and inconsistency in blocking rolling mauls, of which about 80% of the tries they have conceded emanated from.

Fana was also of the view that there were games they would have won had it not been for referees’ decisions against them.

Also, unforced errors have been to the detriment of positive results, Fana said.

“Looking at the way we play overall, we have been doing reasonably well but we are being let down by the end result,” he said.

“I would like to appeal to people to be patient with these young boys, they will come right.”

Bulldogs are bottom of the Vodacom Cup South Section with one point from six outings – all defeats.

Their opponents, Boland, are second from bottom with five losses and a single win.