Madibaz close to relegation zone
WITH the dreaded relegation axe hanging precariously over their heads, the struggling Madibaz will be under huge pressure to deliver an elusive win against Shimlas in a Varsity Cup clash in Bloemfontein tonight.
Though the odds are heavily stacked against his team, determined Madibaz coach David Maidza says there is no question of his men throwing in the towel.
To keep alive their slim hopes of beating the drop to the lower Varsity Shield competition, the Madibaz must snap a six-match losing streak.
Last week’s defeat against Maties left the Madibaz bottom of the Varsity Cup log with two rounds remaining.
The Maties clash was abandoned in the 48th minute at the Madibaz Stadium because of crowd trouble which forced the players to leave the field.
In accordance with Varsity Cup rules, Maties were declared the winners because they were leading 19-0 when the match was stopped.
“Our rules state that if a game is stopped in the second half for any reason, the score at the time will stand as the final score,” Varsity Cup chief executive Duitser Bosman said.
It has been a frustrating season for the winless Madibaz, who came agonisingly close to grabbing wins in their opening games against Ikeys, CUT Ixias and Pukke.
Their inability to get over the line in those tight games, has left the Port Elizabeth side facing a relegation battle at the wrong end of the table.
If Maidza’s side do manage to conjure up a win over Shimlas, they face a tense final game of the season against fellow strugglers Tuks in Pretoria.
Tuks have only managed to win one of their opening six matches, and have a narrow four-point lead over the Port Elizabeth side.
It is a tall order facing the Madibaz, but Maidza remains hopeful that his team can win both matches on the road and retain their berth in the Varsity Cup.
After the defeat against Maties, Maidza said: “Now the Madibaz just want to focus on the last two games we have to play against Shimlas and Tuks. The team now have to try and get a win out of the last two matches, and that is our main aim.
“We are fighting hard as we showed in the first half against Maties.”
The defeat against Maties left the Madibaz at the bottom of the log after Tuks leap-frogged them thanks to a win 54-26 over Cut Ixias.
The Madibaz, if they are to have any hope of upsetting Shimlas in their own backyard, will have to make a major step up.
In the first half against Maties, the Madibaz made too many handling errors and Maidza will demand an error freeze in Bloemfontein.
Of all the teams, Madibaz have scored the fewest points (96) which will be an area of concern for Maidza as he bids to cook up a winning recipe.
So far the Bloemfontein students have three wins under their belt, and they will be confident of extending that to four tonight.
Every second year the team that finishes last in the Varsity Cup competition is automatically relegated to the Varsity Shield while the team that finishes first in the Varsity Shield gains automatic promotion to the Varsity Cup.
The Varsity Cup team finishing second from bottom will play a promotion/relegation match against the Varsity Shield team that finishes second from the top.