Now up to players to thrill Bay fans

THE age-old friendly rivalry between rugby and soccer has never been better illustrated than the coming together of the Eastern Province Kings and Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium this weekend.

The traditional adage that rugby is a game played by gentlemen and soccer one played by hooligans will be put under the microscope tomorrow and on Saturday.

It will be a significant weekend for both the EP Kings and Chippa United as they begin campaigns in the Currie Cup premier division and the Premier Soccer League respectively.

Both codes have been out of the big time for many years in the Bay and sporting officials will be hoping that the fixtures prove to be major crow-pullers.

Flamboyant EP Rugby boss Cheeky Watson has called for 40 000 fans to pack the stadium when the Kings start their Currie Cup season with a mouth-watering opener against Western Province.

Then, on the same pitch, less than 24 hours later, Chip- pa United will host Platinum Stars in the PSL.

No doubt soccer fans, who have been starved of big-time action for many years, will descend on the venue to support their newly adopted team which relocated from Cape Town recently.

The season looks promising for both the rugby and soccer teams because both codes have been hard at work during the off-season reinforcing their line-ups with new signings.

Despite their love for soccer and rugby Bay supporters can sometimes be very fickle if their team fails to produce the goods on the pitch.

It is therefore vitally important that the EP Kings and Chippa United kick off their seasons with victories.

Good starts will ensure that the crowds return and the stadium is buzzing for the remainder of the season.

There has never been a more exciting time for rugby and soccer in the metro, and the ball is now firmly in the court of the players.

All that is left to be said is: Go Kings! Go Chippa!