Win just the boost Bulldogs needed
The Border Bulldogs will be aiming to build on a top performance over the past weekend when they welcome rivals the Eastern Province Elephants to the BCM Stadium for their Currie Cup First Division encounter on Friday night.
After a difficult start to their campaign, where they lost their opening two games, the Bulldogs finally unleashed the shackles this past Saturday to down the Boland Cavaliers 24-17 in an enthralling match in Bredasdorp.
The win means the Bulldogs are right back into the mix for the playoffs, as the five points gained moves them level with the Cavaliers, who sit in the fourth and final qualification spot, on six points, with the sides only separated by points difference.
“Finally we managed to get it right. I think first of all we played in the right areas, we controlled the game better, especially in the first half, and that set us up for the win,” said Bulldogs coach Tiger Mangweni.
“Our defence was spot on and we finished the chances that came our way and that was really important.
“It was wet. It didn’t rain during the game, but the outfield was very wet and this made conditions tricky. But the boys stuck to instructions and managed to get the win.”
The two teams below the Bulldogs, the Griffons and Elephants, both have a game in hand on them, making this coming weekend’s encounter against the Elephants a very important one to keep their campaign on track.
In the match this past weekend it was a strong first half performance from the Bulldogs that gave them some breathing room to seal the desperately needed victory.
They outscored the Cavaliers three tries to one, thanks to lock Athenkosi Khetani, eighthman Athenkosi Manentsa and outside centre Lonwabo Ntleki all dotting down, while flyhalf Lwandile Mapuko added one conversion as the team went into the break 17-7 up.
Scoring chances were few and far between in the second half, as the home side could only add a converted try and penalty to their tally, while the Bulldogs’ dependable fullback, Sonwabiso Mqalo, sealed the win with the team’s fourth try, converted by Mapuko.
The Elephants showed a lot of improvement from the 70-12 thrashing they suffered at the hands of the Cavaliers in their opening match two weeks ago, when they were just edged out by the Leopards 28-21 at the Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The team will have to continue showing that improvement when they meet the Bulldogs and, with both teams having beaten each other once already this season, in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge, it will make things interesting this weekend.
“It will be a tricky match. A derby game is always tough. We don’t know what players will be available for them, so we must be ready for anything,” said Mangweni.
“They fielded a better side against the Leopards than in their first match, so we must be ready for whoever comes down and we must be up for it.
“We have been preparing well, so the team is confident. We are eyeing knockout stages so we need to get another win.”