It’s been another big and busy week for Western Province Rugby, with more success for our juniors, international legacy events, and another action-packed weekend of club rugby ahead.
With more than one hundred and twenty fixtures on the cards and some very close head-to-head clashes this weekend, as well as the deciding matches for the promotion league in the regions, the weekend is gearing up for some excitement.
Amongst other matches, we see a big game on the cards between Super League A teams Uni Mil and Durbel, who currently sit at three and four respectively. A win for either team could see them move to the top of the log depending on the result between Helderberg and False Bay. Uni Mil is currently sitting at number three on the log, with Durbel in fourth. Uni Mil has an 86% win rate versus Durbel’s 83%, and with Uni-Mil having home ground advantage, this looks like a big game.
Also in Super League A, fans can expect a big match between St. Georges and Hamilton’s. With St. Georges currently at eleven on the log and Hamilton’s at seven, St. Georges, currently scoring an average home game score of 25 versus Hamilton’s away score of 23, the “lulu boys” spirit will surely play into the hands of St. Georges.
The closest match-up in Super League C is most likely Macassar and Pniel Villagers, who are four and five on the log respectively. Van Der Stel-Evergreens will be looking to defend their top of the log position when they play Albions, while Goodwood continues to knock at their door, and this week they face the bottom of the log Rangers.
In the City League, Elsies River United have already secured their berth in the promotion league, and this week they will face a tough challenge from Manenberg Rangers, who know that a win is a must, as both Silvertree and Callies are still in with a shout. Silvertree faces second place on the log Gardens, while Callies are up against Young Ideas. These teams have all now played seven matches, and the weekend will see the final matches before the top three go to the promotion league.
As is the case with the Southern League, where it’s promotion league decider time, there is only one possible open spot, and this is for Rocklands, who faces Lagunya. That position could, however, only open up if Retreat slips up against Young Stars.
Similar to the Southern League, Raithby will also know that they must win this weekend when they face Stell Cor, while Whistling Wheels will be on the edge of their seat, watching with anticipation from their current third-place log position. Raithby will, however, need all five points to go through.
The Paarl Region has now reached its halfway mark in the season, and this weekend will see Young Gardens at number one defend their position against number two Young Standards. Standards will, however, know they still have two games in hand, and with home ground advantage, they have slightly less pressure going into the game.
It’s a full house of action in our Women’s rugby leagues this weekend as False Bay Ladies travel to Langa to face Busy Bees Ladies, Brackenfell Ladies host Blue Jets Ladies, Riverside Women face Elsies Rivier Ladies, and it’s a varsity derby when CPUT hosts UWC.
While we have a full house of action on the club rugby front, we congratulate all our junior teams on the successes at the various youth festivals to date, and we thank all our clubs who assisted with the World Rugby U20 World Cup through their liaison and legacy efforts.
With all this amazing action on the cards, we trust the Western Province Rugby spirit will keep our members warm over the next few days.