Five district champs to fight for Premier League spot
All roads will lead to Kapaailand, Maclear, for the Border Premier League promotional play-offs which will take place over two days.
It is a first for play-offs to be held in Maclear, where the five district champions will fight it out for the single spot to be promoted to the Premier League.
Chris Hani District Rugby Union will be represented by Old Collegians, Joe Gqabi by Ngcele United, OR Tambo will be represented by Mqanduli Sharks, while BCM will look to Black Hawkers to stake a claim.
Amathole will be spearheaded by Fort Beaufort United.
The matches will be played tomorrow and on Sunday in a round-robin format, with each team playing two games each day.
The team with the highest number of points will automatically be promoted to* the Premier League.
It is very tough to gain promotion to the Premier League and it is even tougher when you have to face four other district champions.
The schedule is daunting, and the player’s fitness and mental acumen will be tested to the limit.
Komani have just lost Shining Stars in the second tier Border Premier League, after the Mlungisi-based side was relegated.
Old Collegians are pushing hard to secure promotion and know too well that the task will be a very difficult one.
They have played in the Super League and Premier League before and will want a return to the big time.
It will also bode well for Komani rugby to have another representative in the Premier League after the demise of Shining Stars, with Breakers the only team left in the top leagues of Border Rugby. OC coach Dmitri Strydom was asked his views on preparations for the play-offs and his team’s chances for promotion.
“Our objective has been clear from the onset and that is to gain promotion to the Premier League. The squad has worked tremendously hard in difficult and trying circumstances, with loadshedding, and so on,” said Strydom.
“Preparations have been going well, fitness and conditioning levels are on par, which proved to be the difference in the final.
“Looking at the teams competing for a spot in the Premier League, our chances are good as we have a wellbalanced squad between experience and the exuberance of youth, who are sticking to the systems and who are playing for their teammates, club, and supporters.
“I personally think this is the year of favour upon Old Collegians and we will be victorious.”