Bulldogs resume SA Cup campaign against Pumas at Sisa Dukashe Stadium

The Border Bulldogs resume their SA Cup campaign determined to banish their poor conditioning when they host Airlink Pumas on Saturday.

The match marks the second home clash for the embattled side, as they are still searching for their first win of the season after losing 57-22 to the SWD Eagles at the Hudson Park Stadium in KuGompo City.

Walter Sisulu University All Blacks head coach Thembani Mkokeli has been walking around with a grin in recent days. He has a lot of good going on in his team’s Varsity Shield campaign, a huge contrast from what transpired in 2025 as they were at the bottom of the second-tier competition. Mkokeli has two main reasons to smile. The All Blacks, who recently advanced to the semifinals, have a big opportunity to win the Shield title, an ongoing battle for the last decade. The other is a chance to get the team elevated to the Varsity Cup. It was confirmed on Monday that the All Blacks will have a rare chance of promotion to the top-flight Varsity Cup in June when they play Emiris (formerly Varsity College) in the promotion-relegation fixture. The All Blacks finished second on the Varsity Shield log in the round robin behind Wits, who got automatic promotion. The All Blacks lost one game in their seven matches played while they drew against Wits. With Wits leapfrogging Varsity Cup wooden-spoonists CUT, the All Blacks are 80 minutes away from also booking a spot by beating Emeris, who finished in seventh place, just above CUT. ”It’s the first time we have come this close to getting into the Varsity Cup. It’s going to take a lot from the coaches and the players to break through the top competition. But we are confident we can do the job,” Mkokeli said. They have previous experience of facing Emeris. They played them in 2024 and 2025 in the Shield before the Durban institution went up to the Varsity Cup. Emeris came up trumps on both occasions. But this year‘s All Blacks are different beast to the previous two seasons. They have matured, Mkokeli said. The majority of the group have been together for the past two years. Playing in the Border Super League and Brutten Cup with local clubs has helped with the development of big-match temperament, which will be needed in the promotion game. “The Emeris are a good side and will want to remain in the Varsity Cup, but we know how they play. “Of course they have new players to those we knew. “So do we. We have developed a great culture in the team over the last couple of months; everyone is clear as to our plans. “We will prepare for when that time comes,” the former Bulldogs flyhalf and fullback said. The focus now is getting a win over UWC in their semi-final at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium on Friday (2.30pm), former SA U19 backline player Mkokeli emphasised. It is a game they can’t afford to be complacent in, just because they beat UWC in the round-robin. In that match the All Blacks reigned supreme with a 29-10 scoreline at the same venue. Mkokeli is aware that the former Blitzboks coach Paul Treu, now the UWC mentor, will conjure up a strong revenge plot in response to what happened at the end of February. “What we have been doing well this season is that we don’t dwell much on our previous games. We focus on what is coming up. “They are still hurting and will come up with a more competitive team than what they showed in our last game. “We will have to stick to our structures, offensive and defensive,” he said. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

While the match was preceded by confusion regarding the venue, with two others changed at the eleventh hour until they settled for the high school stadium, the Bulldogs will welcome the Pumas at the intimidating Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, hoping to be buoyed by the partisan crowd.

However, concerns still remain over the manner in which they have capitulated in previous matches, including the loss against the Eagles when they could not register a point in the second half.

The bad run continued again when they succumbed to fellow struggling side the Leopards in the second half, after holding the North West side to a 14-14 stalemate at the interval in Potchefstroom.

They eventually wilted to a 31-14 loss.

East London Police president Bonga Mntunjani and coach Onke Dubase are thrilled that their team made history by becoming the first club to win five Eastern Cape Super 14 titles but added that they are now eyeing bigger fish. Mntunjani wants the team to go for the jugular later in the year and try to win the Gold Cup, saying that it is the only missing piece in their trophy cabinet. The Gold Cup is the biggest club competition in the country, and that title has eluded Police. They have often crashed in the opening stages, but with the momentum of winning the biggest provincial competition, Mntunjani wanted his team to carry the momentum to later this year. “Winning the Super 14 gives us confidence going into the Border Super League and for the Gold Cup, which we want to do well in. It’s the competition we haven’t done well in,” Mntunjani said. He could not sit still during the final against Progress on Saturday at Police Park. Though he wore a poker face, his heart must have pounded during a tight game that finished 24-22 in his team’s favour. He was delighted with the milestone of winning the Super 14 for the fifth time and said it meant a lot to the organisation. He credited the players and the coaching staff. Dubase shared similar sentiments, saying the win over Progress was a team effort. Dubase, who took the reins at Police from Yongama Mkaza, added his name to the list of player-coaches that have won the Super 14. He acknowledged it was a tense afternoon. Progress had an opportunity to seal the win at the sound of the fulltime hooter with a drop goal, but it went wide. Things wouldn‘t have been that close, but improper decision-making almost led to Police’s downfall. On two occasions they went for the line in the second half instead of opting for a straightforward three points. Police started the game at a high tempo, resulting in two tries in the first 20 minutes. Progress couldn’t find their rhythm. On numerous occasions they would get into the Police 22m area, but handling errors let them down. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Juliano Botha answered for Progress with a converted try after hard pick-and-goes by the forwards. The teams went to halftime with Police leading 14-7. In the first quarter of the second stanza it was all Progress. They dictated the set pieces and were able to get over the advantage line in their carries. Police had a chance to extend the score to 17-7, but they went for a driving maul, which was killed off by Progress. That quickly haunted Police, as Progress scrumhalf Luchrane Muggels snipped through to close the gap, but the conversion was missed. Kano Botha went over again for Progress to silence the Police crowd. Veteran lock and captain Aya Nomboyo answered for the Bobbies with a converted try. At the end, defending champions Progress had a penalty and drop goal attempt but missed them both. “They came here to play, most definitely,” Dubase said. “We had the advantage of the wind in the first half. I told the guys, ‘Let’s use that as much as we can’. “It was the opposite in the second half; they had the wind, and they put us in the corner and piled on the pressure. “But it comes down to mentality in the end, and we pulled out. “We didn’t opt for three points on some occasions because we thrive in set pieces. It was a big part of our identity. “We always stick to our guns,” Dubase said. Police walked away with a R60,000 cheque as first prize. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

Coach Dumisani Mhani, who has sidestepped the debate about conditioning, admitted that the side had become a perennial 40-minute team.

“We need to stop being a first-half team if we are going to survive in this tournament,” he said.

Mhani is believed to have held a meeting with coach Kayleen Dreyer and general manager Mthunzi Hewu to address the issue.

Hewu refused to say the meeting focused on conditioning, insisting it was a regular review gathering after each match.

“We always hold meetings after each match to analyse them, so it is not correct to say this one focused solely on conditioning,” he said.

However, Mhani is believed to have identified the poor conditioning of the players as an Achilles heel that negatively affects team performance.

Hewu said the capitulation of the team after the break was due to a number of issues, including limited training and poor diet due to a lack of resources.

“Remember, we are dealing with players from club level here, and the situation of being semi-professional compared to other teams in the competition often exposes these challenges.

“We are in the process of stabilising ourselves since I took over seven months ago.

“We have made significant steps towards laying a foundation, including securing financial partners, which will address some of the challenges we are facing.”

The Border Bulldogs’ poor run in the SA Cup continued when they again capitulated in the second half en route to a 31-14 loss to Leopards at Olen Park in Potchefstroom at the weekend. The loss was their fourth in a row since the start of the competition, and it rang alarm bells about their level, with poor conditioning again rearing its head. Rocked by a medical aid fiasco midweek when players threatened to boycott the match in protest against Border Rugby’s intention to double-deduct premiums in lieu of outstanding months, the team appeared to put the matter behind them when they matched the hosts’ strength for strength in the first half. Though fielding a changed squad with captain Sibusiso Lali and mercurial fly-half Isiphe Mbini and some of the players missing, the Bulldogs fought hard against their equally struggling opponents. They could have taken the lead in the third minute, but Mbini’s replacement, Mbasa Nkonki, missed the penalty. The hosts made them pay when Jason Alexander crossed the line six minutes later, with Jandre Burger converting to take the lead. Luvumo Makata replied with his own try, with Nkonki making amends by converting before Sinothando Tshontsyi scored the first of his three tries and Burger kicking it home. The Bulldogs replied through Dillan Kromhout a minute before the break to tie the score at 14-14. But just like they did against SWD Eagles when they capitulated after the interval, the Bulldogs were nowhere to be found when the match resumed. Ntshontsyi continued with his ruthlessness when he scored two more tries, and Alexander secured his brace with Burger doing the honours to help the North West side to register their first win of the season and move away from the basement of the log. Bulldogs coach Dumisani Mhani could not be reached for comment, though the capitulation pointed to yet another poor conditioning which has blighted the team in previous matches. The Bulldogs were hoping to end their losing streak against their fellow struggling foes, with more daunting matches lying ahead, starting with the next clash against the dangerous Arlink Pumas at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in two weeks. Mhani, who had insisted that his team would fight to the bitter end regardless of the opposition, will have a week to prepare for the game as the competition will take a break this weekend before resuming on April 11. The Pumas, whose game against the Cheetahs last weekend was abandoned due to inclement weather, were in action against the Valke at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Sunday. It was a poor weekend for the two provincial sides in the competition, as the EP Elephants also crashed to 52-19 against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein to leave them just two points above the Bulldogs in the log. The Elephants are also winless in the competition, underlining the tough task the provincial neighbours are facing going into the break. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone.

Hewu said the venue conundrum was in the process of being sorted out, with the Sisa Dukushe Stadium set to host Bulldogs home games, while talks were ongoing to secure a permanent home venue.

Mhani welcomed the week’s break, saying it would help the players recover from some of the knocks sustained in previous matches.

The Bulldogs are expected to welcome captain Sibusiso Lali, who was absent in the Leopards’ loss due to a family bereavement.

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

The Pumas, who trounced Valke 42-36, are one of the three unbeaten teams in the competition, trailing log leaders Griquas and the Eagles by just three points, after their clash against the Cheetahs was declared a draw when it was called off due to inclement weather.

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