Bulldogs on run for big Challenge
AFTER months of preparations, the Border Bulldogs will kick off what should be a gruelling SuperSport Rugby Challenge against the Boland Cavaliers at the Wolfson Stadium in Zwide, Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
The Bulldogs game will be one of two SuperSport Rugby Challenge games that will be televised on SS1 and SS Select.
Before the Bulldogs take to the field, there will be club rugby competition between African Bombers and Port Elizabeth Harlequins at 10.30am.
The Bulldogs game kicks off at 1pm while the last game of the day between EP Kings and DHL Western Province will be played at 3pm.
The East London outfit will be looking to hit the ground running by winning their first game in the South Pool which also has the EP Kings, SWD Eagles and the DHL Western Province.
The 15 teams that will be playing in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge have been divided into three geographical pools, with each playing home and away against the other four teams in their pool over the 10week period. Six pool matches will be played every weekend for 10 weeks, followed by seven knockout games.
The top two teams from each pool, together with the two thirdplaced teams with the most log points, will qualify for the quarterfinals, which will take place on Sunday July 2, followed by the semifinals a week later and the final on Sunday July 16.
Bulldogs interim coach David Dobela said his charges were raring to go.
“We are done with preparations. We are ready to go and compete. We are going all out and guns blazing.
“The boys are hyped up and looking forward to this game,” said Dobela.
He promised that they will do their best not to disappoint their fans. A win for the Bulldogs in their first outing will send a strong message to the other teams in the pool.
Losing in last year’s Currie Cup First Division will also make the Bulldogs one of the must-watch teams and favourites to dominate their group.
But since last year’s heroics, the East London franchise has lost some of its matchwinners. Utility back Masixole “Coyi” Banda and free try-scoring wing Makazole Mapimpi are now playing Super Rugby with the Southern Kings.
While Banda is expected to return to the Bulldogs at the end of Super Rugby, the Mdantsane-born Mapimpi has since been snatched up by the Free State Cheetahs, which he will be joining in July.
But Dobela is positive that the team he has at his disposal can still do the job.
He was happy with how their preparations went against the Southern Kings, EP Kings, SWD Eagles and the Sharks.
During the pre-season friendly games, the Bulldogs’ defence against driving mauls, scrums and contesting line outs were exploited – something that Dobela would have worked on.
“We want to set the ball rolling. If we win our first game, that will give us more confidence. We will definitely be coming out searching for the win,” he said.
In a statement SuperSport chief executive Gideon Khobane and Jurie Roux said the tournament will be taking rugby to the people.
“There’s a huge appetite for firstclass rugby beyond the usual centres and teams themselves have expressed a willingness to do so. This tournament will add another layer to SA rugby’s great nursery and hopefully produce players who will become heroes in their communities,” said Khobane.