Win or bust for Elephants in crunch Potch showdown

It will be a ferocious win-or-bust duel for EP’s struggling Elephants when they attempt to snap a disturbing four-game losing streak against the Leopards in an SA Cup clash in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

An error-prone EP side have battled to make headway and are desperate to rescue their season with a much-needed win at Olen Park (kickoff 3pm).

Losses against the Falcons, Pumas, SWD Eagles and Cheetahs in their opening matches have left the Elephants languishing just one place off the bottom of the log.

Defeat in Potchefstroom would be a devastating blow to a union which set its sights on ending up among the top four clubs at the start of the season.

EP, with a meagre two points behind their name, are four points behind the Leopards on the 10-team log.

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

At the start of the season, the Leopards would have been one of the teams EP targeted as must-win opponents.

After they crashed to a 52–19 defeat against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, frustrated Elephants coach Allister Coetzee called for more accountability from his players.

EP leaked eight tries against an adventurous Cheetahs side who dominated during a frenetic second half at Shimla Park.

“I have to make sure I keep the team in a good space, but I will be really hard on them ahead of the Leopards match,” Coetzee said.

“I will get stuck into the players.

“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.

“There is no lack of effort, but one has to ask why we are not taking our opportunities.

“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 learnings, and I have to keep my chin up and continue working at this.

“We will have to be much better in the next few games.”

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. 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. “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) Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

The Leopards have put in the hard yards during an intensive pre-season with Riaan van Straten now at the helm as full-time head coach.

Van Straten, who brings international experience after a stint coaching in Russia, stepped into the role on an interim basis in 2025 following the departure of Matt Proudfoot, who is now at EP.

“There’s a lot of potential here in Potchefstroom and the North West,” he said.

“Working alongside the NWU Eagles, I firmly believe that if we put the right systems in place and deliver quality coaching, we can make the Leopards competitive again and produce players for the SA rugby system.

“The SA Cup is a very tough competition, and there are no easy games.

“This is a big project, and it’s not going to happen overnight. We have to take it step by step, but this season we need to be more competitive, score more tries, and improve our defence.”

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

Saturday’s fixtures: Falcons v SWD Eagles, Leopards v EP Elephants, Griffons v Cheetahs, Boland Cavaliers v Griquas, Border Bulldogs v 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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