Boland break new ground with semi-final berth, but tough task awaits in Johannesburg

The Boland Cavaliers received a taste of what they can expect in the Currie Cup semi-finals against the Lions this past Saturday in Cape Town, after falling to a heavy defeat against Western Province.

WP denied their neighbours a home semi-final, restricting them to three tries in a 40-22 victory at the DHL Stadium.

It’s a major achievement for the Bolanders to make the playoffs in their first season back in the top division since 2016, but they would’ve preferred hosting the match in Wellington. Instead, they will have to travel to Johannesburg for the showdown. Playing against a WP side packed with United Rugby Championship players, however, should serve as valuable preparation for what awaits.

They scored three excellent tries, but costly errors undid their efforts. Conceding three yellow cards and coughing up at least three tries proved decisive. Head coach Hawies Fourie lamented those mistakes, but remained optimistic that his team knows what to fix ahead of the semi-final.

He added that they are not far off the URC sides.

“We had a reasonably good first half against WP and had some chances that we just could not convert,” said Fourie.

“There were a couple of forward passes in try-scoring opportunities, but I felt we were on par in the first half. In the second 40 we didn’t start well, with another early yellow, and then WP just piled the pressure on. We had a few more tries disallowed, including when Sbu (Sibusiso Sangweni) went over the line but lost the ball.

“It was a close game, not in terms of the score, but in terms of key moments. However, if you have four chances and don’t use them, and you concede about 20 penalties and three yellow cards, you won’t win many matches.”

Fourie said not many people would’ve given them a chance of reaching the semi-finals after finishing fourth in the SA Cup. But they set themselves the challenge of making the playoffs, and now they have an opportunity to set new goals ahead of their trip to Johannesburg.

They are proud of what they’ve achieved so far, but know a lot of work still lies ahead. “The gap between us and the URC teams is not that big. Where it is big, is at set-piece time. That’s where we have a lot of work to do. Defensively, we made a massive step up, but there is still work to be done.”