A repeat of the 2022 final, the return of a couple of Springbok Women’s players and must-win matches for some teams highlight the fifth round of the Women’s Premier Division, with three bog encounters scheduled for Saturday.
The Cell C Sharks Women have all four their Springboks back for their trip south to face the EP Queens, and the Boland Dames will face a Bulls Daisies team bolstered by five returning Boks.
However, all eyes will be on Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, where the Border Ladies await DHL Western Province in a mouth-watering clash. The visitors are riding high at top of the standings, but they will be aware of what happened in their last meeting, the 2022 final played in Cape Town.
A lot has happened since, especially as Border lost a chunk of their senior players and the Capetonians roped in former Springbok Women’s coach Stanley Raubenheimer, but the fact remains that these two teams often deliver some classic clashes with the result never a given.
There will be more than pride at stake for Border scrumhalf Felicia Jacobs, who was released by DHL WP last week, and the speedy dual Springbok will be more than eager to prove her former coaches wrong.
The visitors included four returning Springbok Women in their squad for their trip to the Eastern Cape: Madagascar try-scoring ace Asiphe Mayaba on the right wing, as well as Sinazo Mcatshulwa (lock), Azisa Mkiva (prop) and Lucell Hanekom (hooker), all of whom played in last Sunday’s final game of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup. Mcatshulwa will again lead DHL WP.
The Bulls Daisies, who had a dozen players involved in Madagascar, have included five returning Springboks in their squad for their match against Boland Dames in Pretoria. The visitors are the only side without a win in the competition and will be desperate to get off the mark, but they will have a bit task at hand to shock Hayden Groepes’ outfit, who are looking very slick and strong.
The early match of the day could be intriguing. The EP Queens certainly can beat the visiting Cell C Sharks Women but are without Nomawethu Mabenge, who have scored six of their 11 tries to date.
They do have the country’s premier loosehead prop, Saneliswe Charlie, back in the team and that will help a lot. The KwaZulu-Natalians need to find ways to score tries, as they only dotted down four times in as many matches, but the return of Tayla Kinsey and Mary Zulu will certainly sharpen their teeth on attack on Saturday.
Match information:
EP Queens v Cell C Sharks Women
Venue: Wolfson Stadium, Nelson Mandela Bay
Date: Saturday, 3 June
Kick-off: 12h00
Referee: Zoe Naude
Livestream: SuperSport Schools App
Bulls Daisies v Boland Dames
Venue: Harlequins Rugby Club, Pretoria
Date: Saturday, 3 June
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Siyanda Pikoli
Border Ladies v DHL Western Province
Venue: Sisa Dukashe Stadium, Mdantsane
Date: Saturday, 3 June
Kick-off: 13h00
Referee: Bulela Qwane
Livestream: SuperSport Schools App
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
