The in-form Valke are ready to mount a surprise smash-and-grab heist when they face the SWD Eagles in the Carling Currie Cup First Division final in George on Friday night, coach JP Immelman says.
The Valke displayed sizzling form when they beat the EP Elephants 44-12 in Gqeberha last week and Immelman wants his team to take that momentum into Friday’s clash at the Outeniqua Stadium.
An edgy battle of wits will unfold between Immelman and the Eagles and former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer when they face off in the biggest game of the First Division season (kickoff 7.15pm).
When the teams met in the league stage of the competition, the Eagles emerged 45-25 winners and SWD will start as favourites on home soil.
“The Eagles are always tough opposition whenever and wherever you play them,” Immelman said.
“We will take confidence from our win over EP in the semifinals.
“If we can put things together and the guys can play as we did in Gqeberha, then we are confident.
“You have to be confident going into a final because you are one of the top two teams in the competition.
“We did not do well against the Eagles when we played them in the league.
“But we know what we did wrong and what we need to do better in the final.
“So we will work on that and make sure we are ready for the biggest game of the season.”
Immelman said keeping the ball alive had been one of the tactics used to beat EP in the semifinal.
“We knew EP have a big pack and they play around that,” he said.
“The Valke also looked at EP’s game against SWD and it was among the forwards that they tested them.
“EP certainly matched the big SWD pack in that game.
“The Valke opted to move the ball and keep it alive.
“That is generally our game plan anyway and the focus was to be more clinical and accurate in all departments.
“It is always important for guys to make good decisions, which was the case against EP.”
SWD were awarded the right to host the First Division final at Otenniqua Park, after they finished top of the log and recorded a 59-10 victory over the Leopards in a semifinal clash.
The Eagles, who led 45-0 at the break, were in rampant mood and scored nine tries, while the Leopards could only reply with two consolation tries in the second half, when the home side took their foot off the pedal.
Janus Venter scored twice for the Eagles, while Divan du Toit (5) and Fred Zeilinga (2) added seven conversions. For the Leopards, Noegh Hayward and Luyolo Doyi went over.
The Valke, who will be hoping to go one better this year after they suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the 2025 final, outscored EP by seven tries to two last week.
In the semifinal win over EP, Ilunga Mkendi scored two tries for the visitors while Sergio Stalmeester contributed a try, three conversions and a penalty goal for a personal tally of 14 points.
EP coach Allister Coetzee said it was the Elephants’ worst performance of their six-match Currie Cup First Division campaign in the semifinal when they lost to the Valke.
Ahead of the clash at the Madibaz Stadium, hopes had been high that EP would advance to Friday’s final after they pulled off a stunning last-minute win over the SWD Eagles to advance to the last four.
Coetzee said that though his gritty team had fought hard, they were simply not good enough on the day to beat a formidable Valke side.
• Meanwhile, the only EPRU Grand Challenge Top 12 club rugby fixture scheduled for Saturday is a clash between Progress and Brumbies at the Central Field in Kariega.
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