Two massive coastal derbies will be the focus in the South Section of the 2014 Vodacom Cup tournament, as all eight Round Two fixtures take place on Saturday afternoon.
First up at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban, the Cell C Sharks XV will host DHL Western Province in a curtain-raiser to the Vodacom Super Rugby clash later that afternoon between the Sharks and the Reds.
Both these sides kicked off the Vodacom Cup with good wins last weekend as they aim to stamp their authority on the South Section, DHL WP, of course, having lifted the trophy in 2012 before losing in last year’s semifinals.
The other big derby will take place in Grahamstown, where the EP Kings and eastern neighbours the Border Bulldogs will be looking for their first win of the season when they clash at Rhodes University’s Great Field.
In another match taken into the communities, the Regent Boland Cavaliers host the Toyota Free State XV at Wesbank Club in Malmesbury.
The pick of the matches in the North Section is between last year’s runners-up, the Steval Pumas, and three-time champions, the Vodacom Blue Bulls, in Nelspruit. The Mpumalangans started the season with a solid win, but the team from Pretoria came up short last weekend and will be desperate to get their first win of 2014 against a side that beat them by two points last year.
The Down Touch Griffons, who recorded the biggest victory of the opening round, travel to their Cheetahs-partners GWK Griquas in Kimberley, while the Valke have approximately 20km to travel to Ellis Park, where they will face the defending champions, the Golden Lions.
Vodacom Cup competition format for 2014:
South Africa’s 14 provincial unions, as well as the Limpopo Blue Bulls and Kenyan debutants, the Tusker Simba XV, will play in two sections, North and South, with eight teams each of the groups. All the teams will play in a single round within their own section after which the top eight sides, four from each section, will progress to the play-offs.
Northern Section: Vodacom Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Down Touch Griffons, GWK Griquas, Leopards XV, Steval Pumas, Valke, Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls.
Southern Section: Regent Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs, EP Kings, Toyota Free State XV, Sharks XV, SWD Eagles, Tusker Simba XV, DHL Western Province.
Round Two fixtures – Saturday, March 15:
Golden Lions v Valke
Kick-off: 12h40
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Christie du Preez
GWK Griquas v Down Touch Griffons
Kick-off: 14h00
Venue: GWK Park, Kimberley
Referee: Oregopotse Rametsi
Cell C Sharks XV v DHL Western Province
Kick-off: 14h30
Venue: Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban
Referee: Jaco van Heerden
EP Kings v Border Bulldogs
Kick-off: 15h00
Venue: Great Field, Rhodes University, Grahamstown
Referee: Pro Legoete
Steval Pumas v Vodacom Blue Bulls
Kick-off: 15h00
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Referee: Tahla Ntshakaza
Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls v Leopards XV
Kick-off: 15h00
Venue: Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Referee: Gerrie du Bruyn
Regent Boland Cavaliers v Toyota Free State XV
Kick-off: 16h00
Venue: Wesbank, Malmesbury
Referee: Quinton Immelman
Tusker Simba XV v SWD Eagles
Kick-off: 16h45
Venue: City Park, Cape Town
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
