Fifth-placed Hamilton’s host ninth-placed Tygerberg in a must-win match if they are to stay in the Community Cup race, after Durbanville-Bellville beat SK Walmers 26-18 last weekend to pick up their ninth win in 11 matches and move five points clear at the top of the log.
Meanwhile, in other action across the country, Griquas champions Sishen all but confirmed their return to the Community Cup next year when they beat Upington United last weekend to make it eight from eight in this year’s Super League.
Three of the 20 slots for the 2014 edition of SARU’s elite tournament for non-university or so-called ‘open’ clubs have already been filled, with Centurion set to represent the Bulls after finishing as the highest-placed open club on the final Carlton League log.
As defending champions, GAP Despatch will be assured of their place should they not qualify automatically as the top open club in Eastern Province at the end of the season, while Bloemfontein Crusaders made history when they became the first wild card in the short history of the Community Cup to re-qualify by right, as Free State’s top open club.
Sishen took part in the inaugural Community Cup where they gave a good account of themselves in the tournament’s toughest pool, including a narrow away defeat to eventual champions GAP Despatch.
The miners from Kathu in the Northern Cape need just a single log point from one of their remaining two matches to be assured of their place in the 2014 Community Cup, although as things stand it would take a miracle for them to be denied, given their 10-point lead over second-placed Kimberley and a points differential of 181.
Kimberley would have been hoping that next week’s final-round match between the two sides would have doubled as a Community Cup shootout but the side suffered an unexpected and heavy 50-5 away defeat to perennial league runners-up Kuruman last week to all but dash their chances of automatic qualification.
Elsewhere around the country, Boland champions Villagers Worcester moved up the Premier League table into third place following a morale-boosting 38-24 victory over second-placed Wesbank. Community Cup wild cards Roses United lead the standings and remain unbeaten after eight matches, eight points ahead of the chasing pack.
The Border Premier League is reaching the business end with the final round of league action taking place this weekend, before the top four from each of the league’s two groups progress to the quarter-finals, set for the first weekend of August.
Group B is all but tied up, with Fort Hare, Police, champions Broubart Old Selbornian and Cambridge already virtually assured of a place in the last eight. Buffalo will join them from Group A but any three of WSU All Blacks, Winter Rose, Breakers, Swallows or Berlin Tigers may yet sneak into the play-offs, depending on what happens this weekend.
And in the EP Grand Challenge, Community Cup champions GAP Despatch face tournament wild cards African Bombers in one of the matches of the weekend, while Spring Rose and Crusaders, currently lying third and fourth behind NMMU and Despatch, will fight it out to move one step closer to possible title contention.
There’s also final-round action from the Griffons First League on Friday, while Community Cup runners-up Jonsson College Rovers will look to make it 11 from 11 when they travel to Pietermaritzburg on Friday to take on Collegians in the KZN Moor Cup.
This weekend’s (June 28-29) nationwide Premier League club fixtures:
(As supplied to SARU by its provincial unions)
Blue Bulls Limpopo – Boet Fick Senior League, Saturday (Round 6 of 10):
Pietersburg v Noordelikes
Letaba v Messina
Loskop v Louis Trichardt
Boland – Premier League, Saturday (Postponed Round Four matches):
Robertson v Saldanha
Wesbank v Ceres
Vredenburg v Villagers Worcester
Wellington v Black Leaves
Hawston v Roses Utd
Border – Premier League, Saturday (Final round before quarterfinals):
Pool A:
Buffalo v Young Leopards
Ntlaza Lions v Breakers
Wallabies v All Blacks
Swallows v Berlin Tigers
Winter Rose v Africans
Pool B:
Ngculu Zebras v Ready Blues
Ocean Sweepers v King Brumbies
Old Collegians v Fort Hare Blues
Old Selbornians v Evergreen
Police v Cambridge
EP – Grand Challenge, Saturday (Round 11 of 16):
NMMU v Gardens
Spring Rose v Crusaders
SAPS v Orlando Eagles
Progress v Utd Barbarians
Brumbies v Suburban
Kruisfontein v St Marks
Despatch v African Bombers
Harlequins v Park
Golden Lions – Pirates Grand Challenge/Predator:
Roodepoort v Rustenburg Impala
Diggers v Alberton
Raiders v Randfontein
Griffons – First League, Friday (Final round before semi-finals):
Welkom v Kroonstad
Henneman v Welkom Rovers
Griquas – Super League, Saturday (Week 13 of 14):
Upington Dorp v Sishen
Upington United v Kimberley
Kuruman v Postmasburg
KZN – Fidelity Security Moor Cup, Friday (Round 11 of 14):
Harlequins v Dbn Collegians
Varsity College v Zululand Rhinos
UKZN Impi v Crusaders
PMB Collegians v College Rovers
Leopards – Neser A League, Saturday (Semifinals):
Potch Dorp v Hartbeesfontein
Leeudoringstad v Vryburg
SWD – Premier League, Saturday (Round 13 of 22):
Progress v All Blacks
Barbarians v Bonnievale Utd
Groot-Brakrivier v Blanco
Evergreens v Crusaders
Uniondale v Silver Stars
Bridgton v Swellendam
Valke – Peregrine Super League, Saturday (Final round before final):
Boksburg v Springs (Boksburg 110th anniversary celebrations)
Brakpan v Kempton Wolves
WP – Super League A, Saturday (Week 13 of 24):
Hamilton’s v Tygerberg
Belhar v Bellville
Helderberg v SK Walmers