This year’s Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) Club Sevens Series, underway in Goodwood, has reached business end and the 32 remaining sides have all to play for in the sixth and final week of competition.
The stakes, however, are now even higher as there won’t be any second chances in this weekend’s knockout stage. It’s what they call a do or die and teams should either deliver or go home. Surrey Estate’s Rangers RFC will fancy their chances when they take on Young Peoples in a last round of 32 clash.
Fellow Athlone hopefuls, Caledonian Roses will face a rampant Stellenbosch.
Rangers finished 14th in Pool B with 25 points after winning four, drawing two and losing 11 of their 17 matches.
However, the Surrey Estate-based outfit regained their winning touch at the weekend, winning two, drawing one and losing one match.
They were quick off the blocks, beating Kylemore 35-5 in their opener before drawing 19-19 with Raithby Universals. Rangers bounced back to beat Silvertree 26-10.
They were, however, stopped on their tracks by an equally impressive Collegians side, from Lentegeur in Mitchell’s Plain, who beat them 21-10 in their last group match.
Despite the defeat, the message was loud and clear: that Rangers have regained their confidence.
Meanwhile, the WPRFU announced that the competition’s best players will make up the All Star 7s squad that will take on the Blitzboks and several provincial 7s sides.
The panel in charge of selecting the All Stars team, according to the statement, consists of WP 7’s head coach Ricky Petersen, assistant coach Bobby Joubert and head of talent identification, Jerome Paarwater.
Meanwhile, hosts Goodwood RFC – who finished ninth in Pool A with 47 points, after winning 10, drawing one and losing six of their 17 matches – will take on Macassar in their last 32 match.
The hosts will look to continue where the left off at the weekend when things went according to plan, winning all four of their matches on the day.
They kicked off the day with a 28-10 win over Raithby Universals before recording 12-10 win against Langa’s Western Zebras, in a tightly contested match. The home side were not done yet as they went on to beat Kylemore 21-19 and Eerste River 31-17 to finish a day well spent on the field. Neighbours Northerns, who finished four places behind Goodwood in the same pool, will take on Bellville in another highly anticipated northern suburbs encounter. The pool was won by Stellenbosch and they will take on Caledonian Roses in their knockout match.
Pool B winners False Bay will take on Silvertree, while another northern side in contention, Elsies River will take on Victorians.
The Avonwood side will have their work cut out against in form Victorians, who finished fourth in pool a with massive 70 points. Elsie River, on the other hand, finished 13th in Pool B with 29 points after winning five and losing 12 of their 17 matches.
However, the last few weeks have shown that past form means nothing on match day and the Elsies River side will fancy their chances against their Stellenbosch opponents.
In other action, UWC takes on Western Zebras, while Durbell will lock horns with Villagers in a north vs south encounter. Belhar and Young Stars will also fight for a place in the last 16 as well as Eerste River and Hands & Heat who will battle it out in another northern suburbs derby. Kuils River will take on Police, with Brackenfell locking horns with Raithby. The last 32 action will also see Langa doing playing against Kylemore.