Pressure as Boland Dames seek Final spot

PREVIEW: The final round of the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 1 kicks off earlier than usual, when Boland Dames take on the Sharks Women on Friday in Durban, where victory for the visitors looks to secure their spot in the 2026 Final.

Should the Dames win in Durban, the Bulls Daisies will be waiting at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria next weekend in what will be the Bolanders’ first Final appearance at this level.

The defending Premier Division champions must still face the Golden Lions Women’s charge in their Jukskei Derby on Saturday to maintain their winning streak in the competition, where their dominance ensures they have booked their spot in the final even before the final league round.

Western Province will be cheering for the Sharks on Friday. They meet the EP Queens in Gqeberha on Saturday, knowing that a Boland win will mean they miss out on the Final for the first time in a number of years.

However, should the KwaZulu-Natalians pull off a surprise win, factors such as bonus points and points differential could come into play.

In the other fixture of the day, the Border Ladies will be desperate for their first win of the season, although victory over the Free State Women at Police Park in East London would still not be enough to avoid the wooden spoon in 2026.

The Free Staters finally have the services of a fit again Sikholiwe Mdletshe available, with the Springbok Women wing returning in a much-changed backline, with Bernice Strydom back at centre, Anelca Hess at fullback, and Juanine Jacobs at flyhalf.

The performances of the two Springbok Women in the Border side, Aphiwe Ngwevu and Nombuyekeso Mdliki, will be massive for the hosts if they want to record that elusive win.

The Boland side that outplayed WP last weekend was tweaked slightly, with Chloe Adams moving to the left wing after playing off the bench last weekend. Adams had a big impact and got her reward, but she also brought another kicking option to the Dames.

Adams kicked two clutch conversions against WP, and her kicking out of hand will complement that of Eloise Webb and Felicia Jacobs, who already offer the visitors a right foot/left foot kicking combination.

For the Sharks, a strong finish to their season will be massive. They had their moments, but in the end, they just could not play at a high level consistently, hence their lowly log position.

Boland Dames No.8 Aseza Hele admitted there is extra pressure on them to produce a positive result this Friday.

“We don’t want to undermine Sharks just because they’re number six in the league, and we can’t say it’s going to be easy,” Hele told Rugby365.

“They are playing at home, and when you play at home, you want to show off.

“So we’re going to focus on ourselves.”

The Springbok said that giving the short turnaround has been a challenge.

“It’s a difficult one, because you need to switch on quickly. You just had a massive game, and then you need to switch on immediately for the next one.”

For Western Province, the slightest of hopes will drive them and having to win with a big score will no doubt spur their attack. WP coach Jongi Nokwe pulled an interesting selection card, naming Logan Welman on the wing, with big carrying Sinazo Mcatshulwa at No.8 and Nomsa Mokwai at flanker.

Welman could become the first well-established hybrid player in the women’s game, should Nokwe’s foresight be rewarded.

The Gauteng derby will be a hard-fought match, with the Golden Lions Women’s pack of forwards hoping to give the Daisies their biggest test of the season come scrum time and line-out mauling.

The match will be refereed by Precious Pazani, with the Zimbabwean match official’s Rugby World Cup experience a welcome addition to this year’s competition.

“We know it’s David and Goliath, we know it’s a big battle ahead,” Lions scrumhalf Rumandi Potgieter told Rugby365.

“We’re not shying away from that fact, but I think we are really and truly focused on what we’ve built throughout this season and what our strong points are, what we as a team would like to achieve.

“We really pride ourselves in our defence as a team, and we do believe that our defence creates opportunities to attack. So our mindset is a very defensive mindset, and then if an attacking opportunity comes, we’re very natural in attack.

“So I think that’s a good mindset to have going into a Bulls game, knowing that you’re going to defend a lot and you just being up for that challenge and going to throw everything at you, and you just have to adapt all the time.

“When you get an opportunity to attack, to be as sharp as possible for that. But we’re so up for the challenge, we’re so excited for it.

“It’s a good way to measure yourself where you are, and it’s good to have that at the end of the season after we’ve really established a good team environment and a good culture and also just what this badge and what we stand for.”

Fixtures:

Sharks Women v Boland Dames
Venue: KP2, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Date: Friday, March 27
Kick-off: 12.30 (10.30 GMT)
Referee: Thabiso Mbatha

Bulls Daisies v Golden Lions Women
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Date: Saturday, March 25
Kick-off: 11.00 (09.00 GMT)
Referee: Precious Pazani

*Livestream: YouTube

Border Ladies v Free State Women
Venue: Police Park, East London
Date: Saturday, March 28
Kick-off: 12.00 (10.00 GMT)
Referee: Siyanda Pikoli

Eastern Province Queens v Western Province
Venue: Otto du Plessis High School, Gqeberha
Date: Saturday, March 28
Kick-off: 13.00 (11.00 GMT)
Referee: Yohane Tredoux

Additional source: SA Rugby