Jansies, Klofies joust for pole position
PREVIEW: Top spot will be up for grabs in the Final round of the Noordvaal Cup, while rivals Boland Landbou and Oakdale clash in the annual derby.
EG Jansen, Waterkloof, Garsfontein and Monument have already qualified for the Noordvaal Cup semifinals.
The Final round of the league phase, however, will determine who finishes where in the Final four.
The battle between Paul Roos and Grey College – South Africa’s best-performing teams – is scheduled for August 17.
Until then – there are a number of intriguing clashes around the country that will bear watching.
@Rugby365com looks ahead to some of the biggest match-ups this Saturday.
GARSFONTEIN V EG JANSEN
Jansies (38 points) lead the Noordvaal Cup standings, and will be looking to consolidate their position with a win at Garsfontein – or at the very least, a losing bonus point.
Garsies (33) could finish first if they claim a bonus-point win at home, although they will need Monument to do them a favour by beating Waterkloof – who are currently in second place with 34 points.
Jansies have only lost two games this season. Since the defeat to Paarl Gym, they have won seven in a row, thrashing Nelspruit 50-7 last week.
After losing six of their first seven matches, Garsies have turned things around, winning six of their next seven. They recently beat Helpmekaar 54-40.
Waterkloof will hope that a 47-14 win over Marais Viljoen signals a return to form ahead of the crunch match in Krugersdorp.
Monnas have been erratic this season, but are coming off a resounding 87-8 win over Rustenburg.
BOLAND LANDBOU V OAKDALE
The long-running derby between the two agricultural heavyweights will play out on Perdeberg at Boland Landbou this year.
Saturday’s clash marks the 29th meeting since the derby was formalised. Boland have won 18 and Oakdale 10, while there has been one draw.
The last three meetings have been decided by three to nine points, with Boland winning 17-11 in 2023.
This season, Boland have won 10 of their 16 matches, claiming the prized scalp of Maritzburg College as well as a clean sweep of the big Cape Town southern suburbs schools.
A 3-12 loss to Paarl Boys and a 20-59 defeat to Paul Roos, however, has checked the team’s momentum in recent weeks.
Oakdale may fancy their chances of an upset.
The team from Riversdale beat Rondebosch and Garsfontein earlier this season, but have been less consistent since.
They should be desperate to bounce back from a 22-31 loss to Grey College and finish their season on a high note.
RONDEBOSCH V WYNBERG
Rondebosch remain on track to secure a double clean sweep of their three southern suburbs rivals.
They haven’t had everything their own way at home, losing to Milnerton, Paul Roos and Gimmies. That said, they will be favourites against Wynberg this Saturday, after beating them 49-27 in May.
Wynberg began the season with five consecutive wins, a run that included a landmark victory against Boishaai. Since then, they’ve won two of their next nine matches.
The 38-16 win over Bishops last week may provide them with some momentum heading into the Rondebosch fixture.
Not far down the road, Bishops will be out for some form of redemption when hosting SACS.
SACS beat Bishops 29-7 earlier this year, and will expect to win again this Saturday.
Bishops have lost their last 10 matches.
DALE V QUEENS
Dale College are one of four teams to lose to Bishops this season, going down 24-47 at the KES Easter Festival in March.
More recently, they’ve lost five on the bounce, a run that includes a 17-24 defeat at Hudson Park last week.
By contrast, Queen’s have been one of the most successful sides in the Eastern Cape, winning 12 of their 17 matches.
They’ve won their last five games, and were especially dominant in the 55-19 victory against Cambridge.
Queen’s won 29-15 when they last hosted Dale in April. They will be favourites to win at Dale this Saturday and extend their successful streak in this derby.
