EP’s Elephants kick off their Carling Currie Cup First Division rugby campaign with a tough opening match against the Valke at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park on Saturday.
After ending in a disappointing seventh spot in the 10-team SA Cup, EP will be determined to make the end-of-season Currie Cup playoffs.
EP reached the First Division semifinals in 2025 but were beaten 48-20 by the Griffons, who went on to beat the Valke in the final.
In the First Division the EP will be up against the Valke, Border Bulldogs, Griffons, Leopards and SWD Eagles.
After the Pumas, Griquas, Cheetahs and Boland Kavaliers were elevated to the Currie Cup Premier Division after the SA Cup, EP will have an opportunity to shine against teams who operate on similar budgets.
Concerned Elephants coach Allister Coetzee says EP’s worrying problem of running out of power during the second half of matches against leading teams must be sorted out ahead of the Currie Cup.
In the final game of their SA Cup campaign, the Elephants side slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season when they crashed to an embarrassing 85-29 loss against the Boland Kavaliers in Wellington.
It was a thrashing that has raised serious questions about why EP have tended to fall away dramatically against the leading teams.
EP imploded in the second half of a lopsided match that saw the Bolanders outscore EP by 13 tries to four.
“The Elephants can run for 40-60 minutes with the big boys, and after that the power, endurance and physicality taper down,” Coetzee said.
“It’s an issue which needs to be addressed during the off- and pre-season.
“After halftime we had no legs and no work rate as Boland became stronger and stronger.
“EP will have a thorough review of the SA Cup campaign.
“We must prepare well for the Currie Cup First Division and put building blocks in place for next season.”
EP have yet to name their squad for the Currie Cup, but they will be without centre Troy Delport, who has signed a contract to play for the Pumas.
“Unfortunately, Troy has been signed by the Pumas,” Coetzee said.
“That is the reality at EP.
“We could only offer Troy a one-year contract, and that came to an end.
“He has taken the opportunity of a two-and-a-half-year contract, which is much more than he had at EP.
“So he now has financial stability in his life.
“Those [longer contracts] are what they get in the Currie Cup Premier Division teams, and that is why we battle to keep our players.”
The Border Bulldogs, who failed to win a single game in the SA Cup, will be hoping for better fortune in the First Division.
They start their campaign with a tough opener against the Griffons in KuGompo City on Saturday.
EP’s Currie Cup fixtures:
Saturday: v Valke (away), June 20 v Border Bulldogs (away), June 27 v Leopards (home), July 4 v Griffons (home), July 11 v SWD Eagles (away)
Saturday’s fixtures: Valke v EP Elephants, Border Bulldogs v Griffons, Leopards v SWD Eagles
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