Elephants hunting for first win of season against Leopards

EP’s misfiring Elephants will go in search of their first win of the season when they travel to Potchefstroom to face the Leopards in a crunch SA Cup clash on Saturday.

After losing to the Falcons, Pumas, SWD Eagles and Cheetahs in their opening matches, the stakes are high for EP in what promises to be a fierce fight for precious log points at Olen Park (kickoff 3pm).

EP are lying second from bottom on the 10-team log with two points to their name, while the Leopards are four points ahead of the Elephants in eighth position.

After a break in action because of the Easter weekend, both teams will be raring to go as the season reaches the halfway mark.

“EP will reset during the break, and in the second part of the season we will have to be much better in the next few games,” EP coach Allister Coetzee said.

In their last outing the Leopards recorded their first win of the campaign with a bonus point 31–14 victory over the Border Bulldogs in Potchefstroom.

The hosts laid the platform with a clinical second-half display at Olen Park, while powerful winger Sino Tshontyi scored a hat-trick of tries.

EP’s players must be held to more accountability after they crashed to a 52–19 defeat against the Cheetahs in an SA Cup clash played in Bloemfontein on Saturday, frustrated Elephants coach Allister Coetzee said. A porous EP defence leaked eight tries against an adventurous Cheetahs side who dominated during a frenetic second half at Shimla Park. EP, who have lost all four of their opening matches, have a welcome break before they return to action against the Leopards in Potchefstroom on April 11. “I have to make sure I keep the team in a good space, but I will be really hard on them,” Coetzee said. “There is a break coming this weekend, so I will get stuck into the players,” Coetzee said. “They need to be held to more accountability for effort penalties that are being committed, like being offside, not rolling away and simple stupid penalties. “They will have to take accountability because we really had a good plan for the Cheetahs. “The tries the Cheetahs scored were off our mistakes. “We put ourselves into such good positions on the field, and then we butchered the opportunities. “There is a nice break coming up, and I will really go hard on the players about that. “There is no lack of effort, but one has to ask why we are not taking our opportunities. “We had the Cheetahs in the first 25 to 30 minutes, and then we let them in by turning the ball over and making poor decisions. “I also found that we are rushing when we don’t need to, and we must show more composure with the ball in hand. “We are rushing things and making stupid decisions as if there were no rugby IQ. “These are all learning, and I have to keep my chin up and continue working at this. “Wing Mpho Ntsane had a good game after being out for two weeks, and he scored two tries. “The young fullback Jaydon Bantom was much better, so there is a lot of improvement among the young players. “The scrums went better against the Cheetahs, but I felt we were ineffective with our mauling. “We could have at least done better with that. “EP will reset during the break, and in the second part of the season we will have to be much better in the next few games.” The Pumas wrapped the weekend’s action when they defeated the Falcons 42-36 in their Sunday afternoon clash in Nelspruit. The weekend’s results mean Griquas remain in pole position on 20 points, three clear of SWD and the Pumas (both on 17 points), while Boland fell to fourth on 15 points. The leading quartet are followed by the Cheetahs on 12 points, Griffons (10), Falcons (seven), Leopards (six), EP (two) and Border (0 points). Griquas, winners of the competition in 2024, were in complete control from the outset in their clash against the Griffons, running in 11 tries to one for a 71-7 win in Kimberley to secure their fourth consecutive win. Griquas were rampant in the first half, applying relentless pressure through direct carries and clinical finishing. By the break, they had already surged into a dominant 31–0 lead, with tries from Tiaan Lange, Dylan Maart, and a double from Connor Mahoney setting the tone. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

While there will be much focus on the EP vs Leopards encounter, the action is also hotting up at the top of the table as teams vie for a top four finish that will earn them promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division.

After four rounds the top four positions are occupied by Griquas (20), SWD Eagles (17), Pumas (17) and Boland Cavaliers (15).

The pressure is mounting on the Cheetahs, who are in fifth position with 13 points and out of the playoff berths with five matches to play.

Cheetahs skipper Chucky van der Westhuizen said the break could not have come at a better time.

“We can definitely see that some of the guys need a rest,” he said.

“A few of them have played full 80-minute matches in a row — someone like Tielman Nieuwoudt has had two really tough games at prop, which isn’t easy. So the break came at the right time.

EP are hurting after another disappointing performance when individual errors and missed tackles allowed the Cheetahs to romp to a 52–19 SA Cup win in Bloemfontein on Saturday, coach Allister Coetzee said. A fragile EP defence leaked eight tries against an adventurous Cheetahs side who turned up the heat during an eventful second half at Shimla Park. EP, who have lost all four of their opening matches, have a welcome break before they return to action with a match against the Leopards in Potchefstroom on April 11. “It was a really disappointing performance again,” Coetzee said. “This one is hurting because EP had a flippin’ unbelievable plan to get under the Cheetahs’ skin and frustrate them. “We were right on top of them in the first half, but we could not convert those opportunities into points because of the individual errors and simple mistakes we are making. “That is what is disappointing and hurting me. “EP camped in their half, and we had set-piece dominance and our lineout was good, but we could not put them to the sword. “Unforced errors and penalties were killing us again. “The worst, for me, were the individual tackles we missed. “It is very frustrating at this point, but I have to make sure I keep the team in a good space. “The tries the Cheetahs scored were off our mistakes. “We also let them off the hook by giving them a simple intercept try.” Winless EP will welcome the break in fixtures over the Easter weekend as they prepare for what promises to be a challenging second half to their campaign. Languishing second from bottom on the 10-team log, EP next face a tricky away clash against a Leopards side who will be a tough nut to crack at Olen Park. EP suffered a cruel blow to their pre-season preparations when four of their contracted props were sidelined by injury. This resulted in a key warm-up against the Cheetahs being called off, which left EP short of valuable time out in the middle before the season kicked off. Coetzee has pointed out that a lack of minutes in the legs of the props has played a part in EP’s slow start to the season. Dynamic Cheetahs winger Cohen Jasper stole the show at Shimla Park on Saturday with a hat-trick of tries which helped to sink EP. The bonus-point win boosted the Cheetahs’ hopes of ending in the top four and winning promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division. The Cheetahs now head into a bye week before shifting focus to another crucial SA Cup encounter against the Griffons in Welkom. In-form Griquas entrenched their position at the top of the log when they crushed the Griffons 71-7 in Kimberley. Scorers: Cheetahs 52: Tries: Cohen Jasper (3), Michael Annies, Carl Wegner (2), Neels Volschenk, Munier Hartzenberg. Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (6). EP Elephants 19: Tries: Mpho Ntsane (2), Jaydon Bantom. Conversions: Maxwell Klaasen (2). Other results: Leopards 31 Border Bulldogs 14, SWD Eagles 33 Boland Cavaliers 24, Griquas 71 Griffons 7. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“It’s also good for the boys to spend some time with their families, especially with a tough run of away games coming up. Hopefully we make the most of this period and come back refreshed.”

In their last outing Griquas strengthened their charge toward a home semifinal and a prized berth in the Premier Division with a commanding 71–7 victory over the Griffons in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon.

In George, SWD produced their best result of the campaign so far, clinching a deserving 33-24 win to hand the Boland Cavaliers their first defeat of the season.

Griquas, the 2024 competition winners, were in complete control from the outset of their clash against the Griffons, running in 11 tries to one in a fourth consecutive win.

After their trip to Potchefstroom, EP will host high-flying Griquas at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on April 18 in a key sixth-round showdown.

Saturday’s fixtures:

• Falcons vs SWD Eagles
• Leopards vs EP Elephants
• Griffons vs Cheetahs
• Boland Cavaliers vs Griquas
• Border Bulldogs vs Pumas

Log (all teams have played four matches):

• Griquas (20)
• SWD Eagles (17)
• Pumas (17)
• Boland Cavaliers (15)
• Cheetahs (13)
• Griffons (10)
• Falcons (7)
• Leopards (6)
• EP Elephants (2)
• Border Bulldogs (0)

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