The Cell C Community Cup race to George comes down to the wire in Saturday’s final round of pool action, with three clubs set to scrap for the two remaining Easter play-off places, while the six teams who have already qualified remain in the dark as to who their quarterfinal opponents will be.
Defending champions Gap Management Despatch and Kempston Old Selbornians (Pool A), Jonsson College Rovers and Roodepoort (Pool B), and Hamilton’s and Rustenburg Impala (Pool D) have already booked their places in the knockout stages of SARU’s flagship national club tournament for non-university clubs, which takes place once again at Outeniqua Park from April 17-21.
But it’s in Pool C where any two of Roses United, Refreshhh! Centurion or G5 Metals Brakpan can qualify, and the likelihood of points difference eventually settling the sides cannot be discounted.
Unbeaten Roses (13 log points from three matches), who edged Brakpan by one point and drew to Centurion, will qualify top of the group if they beat bottom-placed but resurgent BB Truck Noordelikes with a bonus point in Polokwane (kick-off 16h30).
And with Brakpan and Centurion both on 12 points, their match in Centurion (kick-off 16h30) effectively means that the knockout rounds have come a week early, with the loser almost certainly set to be eliminated from the race.
A bonus-point win for either Brakpan or Centurion, coupled with a win for Roses but without a bonus point, would see two sides finish top of the Pool – and numerous tie-breakers coming into effect, the first of which would be the result of the match between the two teams.
In one scenario, should Centurion and Roses be tied, their drawn match would mean points difference will be used, after which tries difference, most points, and most tries – in that order – will determine the higher ranked team.
Developments in the two Pool C matches in Centurion and Polokwane will also be watched closely in Rustenburg by home side Impala and visitors Hamilton’s, who will fight it out for top spot in Pool D (kick-off 16h00). The winner of this eagerly-anticipated clash in the Platinum belt will face the runners-up from Pool C in the quarterfinals in George, with the loser playing the Pool C winner.
Adding intrigue to the permutations is that the Impala-Hamilton’s match kicks-off half an hour earlier than the two Pool C clashes, meaning that both sides will only know their play-off opponents on Saturday evening.
A similar scenario will play out in Pools A and B, with Old Selbornians and Despatch clashing at Kempston Park in East London (kick-off 16h00) to determine who wins Pool A and therefore plays Roodepoort in the quarterfinals. A defeat for Despatch would mean a repeat of the 2013 final against Jonsson College Rovers, who are assured of finishing top of Pool B.
Elsewhere around the country, there is still plenty to play for for those teams out of play-off contention, with log positions determining ranking of teams for the 2015 Community Cup. Spring Rose and Mossel Bay Barbarians fight it out for third place in Pool A in New Brighton, while Bloemfontein Crusaders stand a good chance of ending third in Pool B should they beat bottom-placed E-Car Welkom in the Northern Free State mining town.
In Pool C, come Saturday night one of Roses United, Brakpan and Centurion will have to be satisfied with third place, while Aveng Moolmans Sishen will crown off a vastly-improved campaign with third place in Pool D should they overcome Wesbank.
FINAL-ROUND CELL C COMMUNITY CUP FIXTURES:
(All kick-off times 16h00 unless otherwise indicated)
Round Five – Saturday, April 5:
Match 33 (Pool A) – Spring Rose v Mossel Bay Barbarians (New Brighton Oval, Port Elizabeth, 15h30)
Match 34 (Pool A)
– Kempston Old Selbornians v Gap Management Despatch (Kempston Park, East London)
Match 35 (Pool B) – Jonsson College Rovers v Eagle Towing Rovers (KP3, Kings Park, Durban, 15h00)
Match 36 (Pool B) – E-Car Welkom v Bloemfontein Crusaders (Griffons Rugby Stadium ‘B’ Field, Welkom)
Match 37 (Pool C) – Centurion v G5 Metals Brakpan (Centurion Rugby Club, Centurion)
Match 38 (Pool C) – BB Truck Noordelikes v Roses United (Noordelikes Rugby Club, Polokwane, 16h30)
Match 39 (Pool D) – Rustenburg Impala v Hamilton’s (Rustenburg Impala Rugby Club, Rustenburg)
Match 40 (Pool D) – Sishen v Wesbank (Sivos Rugby Stadium, Kathu)
Byes: Bridgton, Roodepoort, Kaufela Boksburg, Shumba Ferros.
EASTER CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFFS – OUTENIQUA PARK, GEORGE:
(All matches live on SuperSport. Kick-off times TBC)
Day One – Thursday, April 17:
Match 41 (Cup QF1) – Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
Match 42 (Cup QF2) – Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
Match 43 (Cup QF3) – Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
Match 44 (Cup QF4) – Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
Day Two – Saturday, April 19:
Match 45 (Losers’ match 1) – Loser Match 41 (QF1) v Loser Match 42 (QF2)
Match 46 (Losers’ match 2) – Loser Match 43 (QF3) v Loser Match 44 (QF4)
Match 47 (Cup SF1) – Winner Match 41 (QF1) v Winner Match 42 (QF2)
Match 48 (Cup SF2) – Winner Match 43 (QF3) v Winner Match 44 (QF4)
Day Three – Easter Monday, April 21:
Match 49 (7th/8th Place Play-off) – Loser Match 45 v Loser Match 46
Match 50 (5h/6th Place Play-off) – Winner Match 45 v Winner Match 46
Match 51 (3rd/4th Place Play-off) – Loser Match 47 (SF1) v Loser Match 48 (SF2)
Match 52 (Cup Final) – Winner Match 47 (SF1) v Winner Match 48 (SF2)