It will be a case of win or bust for the winless EP Elephants when they face the SWD Eagles in a crunch SA Cup clash in George on Friday.
Defeats in their opening two games against the Falcons and Pumas have left EP languishing second from bottom on the 10-team log.
It is still early days in the competition and victory over the Eagles would be a perfect tonic for EP ahead of a testing clash against the Cheetahs at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday next week.
“The Eagles game is an important one for EP to get better,” Elephants coach Allister “Toetie” Coetzee said.
“The scoreboard will take care of itself and you cannot look to win a game if you do not sort out the discipline and technical things.
“I maintain the EP players put their bodies on the line against the Pumas.
“They also experienced that if you do not execute you get punished.
“So we will have to work hard and EP will also have to be accurate against the top teams.
“The guys made it ugly and they stayed in the fight and it was just soft moments when they gave away points easily because of the quality of the other side.
“It is a short turnaround for us before the Eagles game on Friday.
“They played last Friday so they have an extra day’s rest which is a challenge we must overcome.
“I have to make sure that EP field a fresh 23-man team in George.
“It is away from home which makes it a bit difficult.
“But there is no excuse about being away from home and EP have to be better in terms of our execution and the clarity of our game.
“it was great to see people come out and support us against the Pumas at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“EP’s big thing is always wanting to play with pride and show how much the jersey means to us.”
EP’s task was made more difficult against the Pumas when they were on the receiving end of three yellow cards.
The home side had also received three yellow cards in their first-round loss against the Falcons.
“The aggression we wanted was not controlled and the tip tackle in the first half was uncalled for,” Coetzee said.
“We had three yellow cards and I was not happy about that.
“The boys must learn from these experiences.”
Coetzee has opted for continuity and named an unchanged starting lineup for the Eagles clash.
Three teams are still unbeaten but one of these, the third-placed Pumas, will have a big challenge on their hands when they welcome the Cheetahs, now fifth on the log, to Mpumalanga on Friday evening.
Log leaders and defending champions, Griquas, travel to East London to take on the Border Bulldogs at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium.
Griquas are strong favourites to continue their unbeaten streak, having won their opening two games this season and remaining undefeated since the competition’s inception in 2024.
The Bulldogs, who put up a fight in their 48-22 loss to the SWD Eagles last week, will need to significantly up their game to challenge the defending champions.
EP team: 1 Siya Nzuzo, 2 Deon Plaatjies, 3 Zukisa Sali, 4 Stefan Willemse, 5 JJ Scheepers, 6 CJ Velleman, 7 Laken Gray, 8 Athi Manentsa, 9 Shirwin Cupido, 10 Chris Humphries, 11 Jay-Dee Jooste, 12 Troy Delport, 13 Sherwin Slater, 14 Rodney Damons, 15 Jayden Bantom. Replacements: 16 Masikane Mazwi, 17 Andile Ngonyama, 18 Arno Gustaffson, 19 Hannes Huisamen, 20 Diego Williams, 21 Wayne Ngubane 22 Chadwin November, 23 Ayabonga Oliphant.
Weekend SA Cup fixtures:
Friday: SWD Eagles vs EP Elephants, Border Bulldogs vs Griquas, Pumas vs Cheetahs.
Saturday: Leopards vs Griffons, Falcons vs Boland.
The Herald
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