Limpopo’s capital plays host to a titanic clash between two locals in SDC Noordvaal Cup
The capital of Limpopo will host a titanic battle between the hosts Hoërskool Pietersburg and Merensky Landbou Akademie in their final round-robin clash of the SDC Noordvaal Cup Bowl division.
With Merensky already securing a playoff spot and Pietersburg out of the running, log positions and qualifications will move to the back of many minds and the focus now shifts to which of the two locals can walk away with bragging rights over the other.
Merensky enjoyed a very impressive season thus far, only losing two of their six encounters in the division, their last victory coming last week against Potch Volkies, beating the visitors 17-10 in Tzaneen.
The Light Blues made some interesting shifts for their clash against their long-time rivals, with their stalwart openside flanker, Hardus Terblanche, moving to inside centre to take the place of the suspended, Ulrich Mare, who received a red card last week.
Lukas Pieterse retains his place in the side after his impressive performance from the back of the scrum last week and Waldie Haasbroek still out of commission with an injury.
Together with Pieterse, Luan Verster will make yet another appearance in the number four jumper. The lock forward has had a remarkable season to date and has impressed with his burly ballcarriers to lay the platform for some attacking rugby out wide.
Pietersburg had a good start to the season but faded away somewhat with a few crucial losses, one of those coming against the same Volkies team that fell short against Merensky last week, losing by only one point. The men from Pietersburg opted to go with an unchanged side for most of their campaign. The man with the captain’s armband, Dewan Gobey, will look to light the fire upfront and take the physical battle to the visiting side. Gobey has been well supported by his lock partner Jayden du Bruin and eight-man Henre Venter.
At the back, all eyes will be on the exciting midfield pairing of Wian Terblanche and Hanno van Zyl. The pair have proved to be a real danger on attack and will look to keep the visitors on their toes when they have ball in hand.
This will be a big test for the men from Tzaneen before they head off to the playoffs next week, to face either Wesvalia or Die Anker.
Eldoraigne will face Alberton in their final pool clash in Pretoria on Saturday. The Eldo’s are in a comfortable position at fourth on the log and a victory against a struggling Alberton side will secure them a place in the playoffs. The Pretoria-based side had a rocky start to the season but recovered well winning four of their six encounters thus far, with their latest loss coming against Die Anker last week and will look to get back to winning ways and create important continuity before next week.
Die Anker will travel to Potchefstroom to face Potchefstroom Volkskool. The side from Brakpan has not been beaten and will look to keep it that way. Volkies on the other hand will want to cause an upset and hand Die Anker their first loss of the season to finish their season of on a high note.
Wesvalia welcome the struggling Dr. Malan in Klerksdorp for their final pool clash of the 2023 season. The side from Klerksdorp is currently tied with Merensky with 19 log points each and will be eyeing a bonus point victory to cement a home semi final next week.
The teams:
Pietersburg vs Merensky at 12:35 in Pietersburg:
Pietersburg: 15 Dian van Tonder, 14 Devon Janse van Rensburg, 13 Hanno van Zyl, 12 Wian Terblanche, 11 Niel Smit, 10 Vincent Luckhoff, 9 Divan Brown, 8 Henre Venter, 7 Reuben Weyer, 6 Keagan Baker, 5 Dewan Gobey, 4 Jayden du Bruin, 3 Floris Venter, 2 Dewald de Beer, 1 Jan-Hendrik Venter.
Merensky: 15 Caleb Mokgalaotse, 14 Heinrich Lubbe, 13 Klokke Mohlala, 12 Hardus Terblanche, 11 Mahlatse Semosa, 10 Byron Hendricks, 9 Dirk De Nysschen, 8 Lukas Pieterse, 7 Tian Viljoen-Krugel, 6 Ruan Marcos, 5 Zander Heydenrych, 4 Luan Verster, 3 Tirelo Mashapa, 2 Ethan Maritz, 1 Divan Pietersen.
Eldoraigne vs Alberton at 13:50 in Pretoria:
Eldoraigne: 15 JP Meyer, 14 Hendru van Zyl, 13 Marchand Nel, 12 Rynardt Gelderblom, 11 Ivan Vermeulen, 10 Reynier Kidson, 9 Donnevin Naude, 8 Johan Coetsee, 7 Anrou du Plessis, 6 Divan de Jager, 5 Myburgh van Wyk, 4 Shane Henery, 3 Jaco Fourie, 2 Jaydon Niehaus, 1 Willie Diffenthal.
Alberton: TBC
Potchefstroom Volkskool vs Die Anker at in Potchefstroom:
Potch Volkies: TBC
Die Anker: 15 Damien Muller, 14 Breedt la Grange, 13 Duhan du Plessis, 12 Branden Crous, 11 Christiaan Nell, 10 Benton Giessing, 9 Danie Smit, 8 Hanru Pienaar, 7 Bradley van Niekerk, 6 AJ Roux, 5 Ruben Herbst, 4 Reagan Pretorius, 3 Daniel du Toit, 2 Dihan de Villiers, 1 Buks Britz.
Wesvalia vs Dr. Malan at 12:30 in Klerksdorp:
Wesvalia: 15 Marno Dreyer, 14 Teboho Sekonyela, 13 Deon Viljoen, 12 Philip Janse van Rensburg, 11 Werner Kruger, 10 Richardt van Heerden, 9 Chad Hofmeyer, 8 Hanre Venter, 7 Heinrich Visser, 6 Francois Dumond, 5 Wessel Sevenster, 4 Vian Botes, 3 Koos Kleynhans, 2 Junior Kuhn, 1 Heinrich Janse van Vuuren.
Dr. Malan: 15 Dian van der Berg, 14 Ethan Williams, 13 Collyn Fourie, 12 Andreas Botha, 11 Dante Morat, 10 Juan Stols, 9 JP Kinghom, 8 Juan Jardin, 7 Dillon Gouws, 6 Herman du Plessis, 5 Clayton Button, 4 Xander Boshoff, 3 Ziwan Karrani, 2 Duhan Rheeder, 1 Kananelo Mtambo.
