Women's rugby kicks into high gear this weekend as the Border women’s team welcome Free State to the Buffalo City Metro Stadium for their final pool stage match of the interprovincial competition tomorrow afternoon.
Border, the reigning champs and most dominant team in provincial women’s rugby for the last five years will be looking to end their pool stage campaign with a bang and seal top spot on the log, which will guarantee them another home final.
This prospect will be enough to boost their chances.
The team sealed their place in the final with a comprehensive victory over KwaZulu-Natal two weeks ago, and just have to get a win over Free State to secure top spot.
“We are ready for the game, we are not going to take the game lightly, just one mistake and we won’t host the final, so we are taking it seriously and want to get a good win,” said coach Mxolisi Kolonza.
It should however be a big win for the Border side as they face the competition’s worst team, who have yet to win a game and have not yet picked up a point, while the Border team has won all of their games, missing out on only one bonus point along the way.
“I think we can get a big win against Free State if we play to our strengths, dominate upfront and swing the ball to our backs, which we will be looking to do on the day.
“We want to give the supporters a good game and also build some momentum to take into the final.”
The only teams that can possibly pass Border on the log, if they were to have a slip up against Free State, are Western Province and Eastern Province, but with them facing each other that match is increasingly looking like a battle for the second place.
The winner of that game will most likely have to take on Border in the final at the BCM Stadium.
“The girls are excited for the final, they want to break the record they set last year of winning it four times in a row and want to make it five this year,” admitted Kolonza.
“We would like to face Eastern Province in the final, when we won the title in 2013 we played the Blue Bulls in the final and since then we have only played Western Province in every final, so this year we would love to face our neighbours.”
In all it has been another solid season for the Border women again, winning all four games so far, picking up 19 out of 20 possible points, scored 21 tries while conceding just seven and having a big points difference of 93 points.
Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm and entry is free.
Border Team: Asithandile Ntoyanto; Xolelwa Diliza, Nwabisa Ngxatu, Nolusindiso Booi, Mandisa Xozwa; Yanga Ndabeni, Lusanda Bumke; Nomaphelo Mayongo, Fundiswa Plaatjie, Divine Basweni, Nos’phiwo Godo, Unathi Mali, Namba Simamkele, Lutho Sajini, Sinenhlanhla Shozi.
Reserves: Sinentlantla Kwinana, Liyabona Dudumashe, Thuliswa Capa, Thantaswa Macingwane, Yolanda Sana, Aphiwe Ngwevu, Siphosethu Mgaju
Border set sights on a home final
Border, the reigning champs and most dominant team in provincial women’s rugby for the last five years will be looking to end their pool stage campaign with a bang and seal top spot on the log, which will guarantee them another home final.
This prospect will be enough to boost their chances.
The team sealed their place in the final with a comprehensive victory over KwaZulu-Natal two weeks ago, and just have to get a win over Free State to secure top spot.
“We are ready for the game, we are not going to take the game lightly, just one mistake and we won’t host the final, so we are taking it seriously and want to get a good win,” said coach Mxolisi Kolonza.
It should however be a big win for the Border side as they face the competition’s worst team, who have yet to win a game and have not yet picked up a point, while the Border team has won all of their games, missing out on only one bonus point along the way.
“I think we can get a big win against Free State if we play to our strengths, dominate upfront and swing the ball to our backs, which we will be looking to do on the day.
“We want to give the supporters a good game and also build some momentum to take into the final.”
The only teams that can possibly pass Border on the log, if they were to have a slip up against Free State, are Western Province and Eastern Province, but with them facing each other that match is increasingly looking like a battle for the second place.
The winner of that game will most likely have to take on Border in the final at the BCM Stadium.
“The girls are excited for the final, they want to break the record they set last year of winning it four times in a row and want to make it five this year,” admitted Kolonza.
“We would like to face Eastern Province in the final, when we won the title in 2013 we played the Blue Bulls in the final and since then we have only played Western Province in every final, so this year we would love to face our neighbours.”
In all it has been another solid season for the Border women again, winning all four games so far, picking up 19 out of 20 possible points, scored 21 tries while conceding just seven and having a big points difference of 93 points.
Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm and entry is free.
Border Team: Asithandile Ntoyanto; Xolelwa Diliza, Nwabisa Ngxatu, Nolusindiso Booi, Mandisa Xozwa; Yanga Ndabeni, Lusanda Bumke; Nomaphelo Mayongo, Fundiswa Plaatjie, Divine Basweni, Nos’phiwo Godo, Unathi Mali, Namba Simamkele, Lutho Sajini, Sinenhlanhla Shozi.
Reserves: Sinentlantla Kwinana, Liyabona Dudumashe, Thuliswa Capa, Thantaswa Macingwane, Yolanda Sana, Aphiwe Ngwevu, Siphosethu Mgaju
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