Border Premier League do or die
One blink and you are out! That’s how competitive the Border Premier League has been this season.
One week you can be top of the log, and one loss can drop you to fifth the next weekend. It is one of the most tightly contested races in years.
Virtually every week there are two or three promotionladen contests, it is a matter of do or die.
Fort Beaufort United tops the log on 17 points, one point above United Brothers.
FB United have picked up only one bonus point victory, this from last outing with their 43-13 hammering of Black Eagles, a team, who for the first two weeks were sitting pretty on top, but now find themselves sixth on the log.
United Brothers have been breathing down the neck of FB United but have not picked up any bonus point in their four matches and are second on the table after beating Ngculu Zebras 21-17 in a tightly contested match.
Three teams have 10 points – Africans, Ntlaza Lions and Black Eagles, while another three, WSU Eagles, Ocean Sweepers and Wallabies, have five.
The difference between number one and number six is seven points.
Africans, who have already lost a match but have a game in hand, can move to within the top three if they win their game in hand, and can only be two points adrift of FB United, by virtue of picking up crucial bonus points.
Every match for every team
is crucial in their promotion aspirations.
Africans won 36-15 against Ocean Sweepers, while Bussy Boys won 18-7 against a struggling Cambridge.
Ntlaza Lions inflicted a 20-5 victory over WSU Eagles in the Transkei derby and in Stutterheim, Wallabies fell short at home after going down 46-17 against Winter Rose.
The biggest match in the Super League was the contest between a rejuvenated Swallows side against WSU All Blacks. This in all likelihood was a test of Swallows’ renewed optimism to challenge for honours this season against an
All Blacks team who have been touted as serious challengers to the Police crown.
Well, Nyoni is back with a bang after narrowly winning 2221 to prove their title credentials are indeed intact.
Swallows remain unbeaten, second on the log, two points shy of Police on 18 points.
Breakers fought hard, but all in vain after going down 19-14 against another unbeaten team, Old Selbornians. The fans at Nashua Park are smiling again as the men in black and white are doing the job.
Young Leopards won 32-19 against an out-of-sorts Ncera Leopards, while Fort Hare Blues
returned to winning ways, beating Berlin Tigers 31-3. Champions EL Police won their 10th straight match in 2024 after beating Buffs 29-6.
That includes six Super 14 matches and four Super League matches. The Bobbies lead the pack on 20 points.
Komga United continues to impress, this time winning 3730 against Moonlight, and remain in a respectable fourth position on 15 points.
There are still going to be twists and turns in both the Super and Premier leagues, but so far both have delivered in terms of entertainment and competitiveness.