National Club Rugby Round-up: Roodepoort latest Community Cup qualifier
Roodepoort have been confirmed as the fifth team to qualify for next year’s CELL C Community Cup after the West Rand club won the Golden Lions’ Pirates Grand Challenge league with a round to spare.
Roodepoort, who qualified for this year’s Community Cup Easter Championships, put the disappointment of their seventh-place finish in George behind them in emphatic fashion by going through their domestic league unbeaten, which included victories over second-placed UJ (25-19) and third-placed Wits (21-19).
Roodepoort’s final league match revives their famous rivalry with fellow Community Cup side Raiders, whom they beat 27-24 at the Rand Leases Sports Grounds earlier this year in SARU’s new national tournament for open clubs.
This Saturday the tables will be turned, with fourth-placed Raiders hosting their neighbours in a match which won’t have any impact on the final log, but which will nevertheless be keenly contested.
Roodepoort are joined in the 2014 Community Cup by Sishen, Centurion (Blue Bulls), GAP Despatch (defending champions) and Bloemfontein Crusaders, who become the first wild card in the short history of the tournament to re-qualify by right, as Free State’s top open club.
Sishen confirmed their Community Cup place when they beat third-placed Upington 40-38 away last weekend to also win the Griquas Super League for a second year running. Their final-round match this weekend against second-placed Kimberley will thus be of academic interest only, but a tough encounter is nevertheless expected between the Northern Cape’s two best teams.
Elsewhere around the country, Noordelikes are unbeaten in Blue Bulls Limpopo’s Boet Fick Senior League, while Wesbank and champions Villagers Worcester broke away from the pack chasing unbeaten Boland Premier League leaders Roses United, with big wins over Ceres and Vredenburg respectively.
Spring Rose made a similar move in the EP Grand Challenge, beating fourth-placed Crusaders 15-8 to solidify their third-placed position behind leaders Despatch and second-placed NMMU, who do have a game in hand over the Community Cup champs.
College Rovers, fielding Springbok loose forward Ryan Kankowski, made it 11 from 11 in the KZN Moor Cup with an 84-18 win over Pietermartizburg Collegians to all but sew up their eighth straight title, while Hamiltons continue their climb up the WP Super League A following their 64-33 win over Tygerberg, the Green Point club now lying 12 points behind leaders Durbanville-Bellville with two matches in hand.
There are a number of knockout matches this weekend, with Potch Dorp hosting Leeudoringstad in the Leopards’ Neser A final, while in Welkom, Rovers host Kroonstad and Welkom Club are at home to Henneman in the Griffons’ First League semi-finals.
And Brakpan will host Boksburg in the Valke Peregrine League final on 13 July after Boksburg edged Springs 50-49 in a match that formed part of their 110th anniversary celebrations.
This weekend’s Premier League club fixtures from around SA (as supplied to SARU by its provincial unions):
Blue Bulls – Carlton League:
No matches – League completed, won by Tuks.
Blue Bulls Limpopo – Boet Fick Senior League, Saturday (Round 6 of 10):
Noordelikes vs Louis Trichardt
Letaba vs Pietersburg
Messina vs Loskop
Boland – Premier League, Saturday (Round 10 of 18):
Hawston vs Villagers Worcester
Wellington vs Ceres
Robertson vs Black Leaves
Roses Utd vs Vredenburg
Saldanha vs Wesbank
Border – Premier League:
Round robin stages completed. Dates for outstanding matches tbc.
Quarter-finals on 3 August.
EP – Grand Challenge:
Gardens vs United Barbarians
Harlequins vs Park
*Both matches tbc on condition of fields
Free State:
No matches – City League completed, won by Shimlas.
Golden Lions – Pirates Grand Challenge/Predator, Saturday (Final round):
Raiders vs Roodepoort
Alberton vs Rustenburg Impala
Randfontein vs Wanderers
Diggers vs Pirates
Union vs UJ (10 Jul)
Pukke vs Wits (10 Jul)
Griffons – 1st League, Friday (Semi-finals):
Welkom Rovers vs Kroonstad
Welkom vs Henneman
Griquas – Super League, Saturday (Final round):
Postmasburg vs Upington United
Kuruman vs Upington Dorp
Kimberley vs Sishen – rescheduled from 20 Apr
KZN – Fidelity Security Moor Cup:
No matches, league resumes 12 July with Round 12 of 14
Leopards – Neser A League, Saturday (Final):
Potch Dorp vs Leeudoringstad
Mpumalanga – Buscor Super League, Saturday (Round 12 of 14):
Witrivier vs Witbank Ferros
Malelane vs Rooikatte
Middelburg vs Nelspruit
SWD – Premier League, Saturday (Round 14 of 22):
All Blacks vs Barbarians
Silver Stars vs Bridgton
Bonnievale Utd vs Groot-Brakrivier
Blanco vs Evergreens
Crusaders vs Uniondale
Swellendam vs Progress
Valke – Peregrine Super League:
No matches – League completed; Final 13 July: Brakpan vs Boksburg
WP – Super League A, Saturday (Week 14 of 24):
Hamiltons vs Bellvillle
Tygerberg vs SK Walmers
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