Bobbies go head to head
Bay side take on Pretoria men at Loftus
PORT Elizabeth Police face a daunting task when they come up against their Pretoria counterparts in a Saru Gold Cup fixture at Loftus Versfeld today (4.15pm). Both teams go into the fixture bursting with confidence after enjoying convincing wins over Bloemfontein Police and Sishen respectively.
But PE Police know they will be in for a dogfight today when they clash with their traditionally strong rivals.
PE Police team manager Marius van der Walt said: “Yes, [Pretoria Police] are a very good team and have done well in their league.
“We had a good game first up and it’s a great start to the Gold Cup for us. We need to work harder and stay humble now.”
The win against Bloem Police resulted in minor injuries, but it seems as if all is OK for today’s match.
“We had two injuries in the last match . . . Eben Barnard and Wayne van Heerden . . . but it looks as if both will be ready to play this week,” he said.
The capital city side enjoyed the bigger winning margin over Northern Cape outfit Sishen as they comfortably sailed to a 44-17 victory in Khathu last Saturday.
Van der Walt said his men were well aware of the threat of the Pretoria law enforcement side.
“They will be a big and strong pack and hardrunning backs,” Van der Walt said. “We have not had a chance to see them play, but we expect the strong pack and hard-running backs.”
A win for the PE bobbies will see them claim top spot in the all-police-clubs Pool D.
The match is a curtainraiser for the Currie Cup clash between the Blue Bulls and Griquas and will be broadcast on SuperSport 1 and HD.
There is a further Currie Cup curtainraiser action tomorrow when Durban Collegians – beaten 37-19 by False Bay on the opening weekend – host White River, who were edged 20-18 at home by Zimbabwe champions Old Georgians.
The Pool C match, at Durban’s Kings Park, kicks off at 1.15pm and will be broadcast on SuperSport 6 at 7.45pm.
In the other Pool C match, False Bay face an acid test of their title credentials when they travel to Bosman Stadium to face Falcons champions Brakpan.
In Pool A, Welkom Rovers will host champions Durbell, with both teams looking for a second win in as many weeks, while the group’s other heavyweight side, two-time national club champions College Rovers, open their campaign at home against Worcester Villagers.
And in Pool B, Pirates – having held on at home to beat an impressive Wanderers Windhoek 28-26 last weekend – will look to make it two from two when they welcome Rhinos.
In possibly the most talked-about match of the weekend, Impala travel to George to face SWD champions Evergreens, who will no doubt be spurred on by a packed house at the Pacaltsdorp Sports Ground.
The Gold Cup format is simple and identical to that of the Rugby World Cup: 20 clubs are divided into four pools of five, each team playing two home and two away matches over five weeks from September 10 to October 8.
The top two clubs in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for October 15.
All knockout matches, including the televised semifinals (October 22) and final (October 29) will be hosted at participating clubs.