Swallows ready to swoop for Cup spot

Swallows have a chance to fight for a place in the quarterfinals of the sixth edition Gold Cup – SA Rugby’s flagship national championship for non-university clubs.

Swallows got their campaign off to a good start when they beat Springs 17-13 in the group stages last weekend. On Saturday, the Mdantsane-based outfit will face Impala at Olympia Park in Rustenburg.

They are now second on their group log-standings and they will need to fight for another win against Impala to book themselves a spot in the quarterfinals. According to club president, Zuko Matyeshana, as the reigning Border Super League champions, they have what it takes to topple Impala and to reach the next stage of the competition.

“I’m excited about the fact that should we win against Impala, we are guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals,” Matyeshana told the Daily Dispatch.

He said their first game against Springs was a tough encounter because they made a number of mistakes.

“It was our first game, but I’m glad we managed to pull through, although we had errors. “Thanks to our experienced forward line, they played very well, and that helped us to counter everything the opposition was bringing to us.

“We managed to exert a lot of pressure on Springs, and they eventually cracked, and that result has boosted our players’ confidence as we move along swiftly in this tournament.

“We just have to make sure that we fix our mistakes, which were mostly ball-handling errors and finishing the game.

“But this week we worked on those mistakes, and we are hopeful that we’ll implement the solutions that we came up with at training in order to secure a win.

“We want to go as far as we can in this competition,” he said.

Matyeshana applauded the team effort from his charges, noting the leadership roles played by former Border Bulldogs players as they took a stand away from home.

“I must note our provincial players Onke Dubase, Benni Dunton and Yanga Xakalashe. They were doing everything in their power to make sure we come back victorious.

“And going into this game against Impala, I think they will play a pivotal role.”

We just have to make sure that we fix our mistakes, which were mostly ball handling errors