With one round still to play in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge before the knock-out rounds, the unbeaten DHL Western Province have already booked a home play-off.

Whatever happens in their clash with SWD Eagles in Oudtshoorn on Sunday, DHL Western Province will host a quarterfinal at the Green Point Track on Sunday, July 2.

However, whilst they currently have the most log points in the competition, they will still need a win on Sunday against SWD to ensure they end the regular season as top seeds in the competition.

The Xerox Golden Lions and Tafel Lager Griquas are both within striking distance with just one defeat each, which means that there will be no shortage of motivation for coach John Dobson’s team in Oudtshoorn this weekend.

“It is vital for us to finish with the most points to ensure that we can play all our knock-out games at home.

“This team has worked incredibly hard so they owe it to themselves to keep the intensity as high as possible against what will be a fired up SWD team this weekend,” said Dobson.

One of the stand-out features of DHL Western Province’s unbeaten run has been a miserly defence which has conceded the least tries in the competition.

Dobson paid tribute to Defence Coach Norman Laker who brings plenty of energy and enthusiasm to the role.

“To concede just 17 tries in seven games is a great effort and one that Norman can rightly be proud of. He and the rest of the assistant coaches have all played a major role in getting this team to where it is.

“We have benefited from a great working relationship with the DHL Stormers which has seen a good cross flow of players. I think the work laid down in the pre-season by the coaches has borne fruit and I think the two teams have worked well together in terms of training and technical alignment.

Although proud of what the team has achieved, Dobson knows that the key will be to make all the hard work count as they approach the knock-out phase of the tournament.

“This team is hungry for more success and we are certainly not taking anything for granted at this stage. We have a good spirit but that is meaningless unless it is manifested by how we work for each other on the field

“We know that we will be tested, starting this weekend in Oudtshoorn, so it is about rising to meet that challenge,” he said.