The 22-8 score in favour of the EP Elephants was only part of the story at Station Hill sports ground last Friday, where the Border Bulldogs game them a run for their money in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Visitors from Alexandria, Bushmans, Makhanda, Gqeberha, East London and Qonce stood shoulder to shoulder with locals to see the province’s top teams in a warm-up match ahead of this weekend’s SA Cup.
It was a hard-fought game: EP elephants won 22-8
Recently appointed Border Bulldogs coach Dumisani Mhani said he was pleased with the team’s effort.
“The good thing about playing a good team like the Elephants is that we have a good idea of what we need to work on,” an upbeat Manhi said. Several players from the Elephants greeted Manhi warmly after the match: he had been their coach until the end of last year.
Also new to his side is Elephants coach Allister ‘Toetie’ Coetzee, who used the opportunity to test various combinations ahead of the SA Cup. Coetzee was upbeat about his team’s performance.
“It was not the easiest conditions,” he said, referring to persistent gusts of wind. “But it was a nice outing and it’s great to be back in Port Alfred.”
Coetzee said the province’s vision of taking rugby to the rural areas was alive and well, and Ndlambe would be seeing more of the Elephants. A match between the two teams in Klipfontein last year marked the start of this development-focused initiative.
The Station Hill sports ground is looking better than it has for years. Part of that is thanks to the turf wicket that the Pineapple Cricket Tournament organisers have been preparing for the event that starts this weekend. The grounds are home to Station Hill Cricket Club, as well as the Kowie United rugby team. Kowie United’s Denzel Burger praised the municipality for “coming to the party”. They had carried out valuable maintenance and repairs to the change rooms and toilets at the grounds. The buildings were also freshly painted.
“The outcome was good and there were no serious injuries, no drunkenness, no one caused any trouble, it was a beautiful day – people were happy,” Burger said. “The day was a great success. They want us to bring another game to Port Alfred, but we must consult with EP first.”
Burger thanked the sponsors for the day, including BUCO, Stenden SA and Ndlambe Municipality. Herotel was on site with free wifi.
“Everything was beautiful and everyone was very happy,” he said.
Burger had been at the grounds all morning, ensuring the pitch was correctly prepared according to the federation’s requirements. The lime had been provided by Ndlambe Municipality. Assistingng him with that task were locals, Jaden Swartz, Austin Stuurman, Shaquille Thomas and Courtney Ambraal.
“This initiative is to help uplift sport in Station Hill, and so our young people can see their heroes in action and meet them in person.”
The website springboks.rugby explains that the SA Cup, for which the Bulldogs and the Elephants have been preparing, fills the gap between pre-season and the start of the Carling Currie Cup Premier and First Division competitions. Suzuki Griquas were crowned the first champions of the SA Cup, capping off an unbeaten season with a 46-24 victory over the Airlink Pumas in the final in Kimberley. They will be joined in 2025 by the NovaVit Griffons, Toyota Cheetahs, Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, Valke, Leopards, Phangela SWD Eagles, Eastern Province and Border Bulldogs, with the top four teams qualifying for the Currie Cup Premier Division along with the four Vodacom URC franchises. The competition is scheduled to start on the weekend of 8 March and will conclude with the semi-finals (17 May) and final (24 May).
Border Bulldogs play NovaVIT Griffons at Dukashe Stadium, Mdantsane, at 3pm on Saturday. At the same time, the EP Elephants play Valke at barnard Stadium in Kempton Park.
(Source of information about SA Cup: springboks.rugby)
Pictures of Saturday’s match:
On the field action HERE at https://bit.ly/TOTTBBvEPRU_action (Facebook)
The vibe HERE: https://bit.ly/TOTTBBvEPRU_2 (Instagram)
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, March 6, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
