The Border Rugby Union will need to keep its promise to take decisive action to turn around the fortunes of its senior men’s Bulldogs team after yet another drubbing by provincial neighbours the EP Elephants last weekend.
The Bulldogs have been the whipping boys in the SA Cup competition, losing all their matches, many with big margins.
While the union has made strides in stabilising administration with news that it was on the verge of acquiring space for its headquarters by returning to the Buffalo City stadium, the on-field display by its teams has left much be desired.
The Bulldogs are the flagship of the union and as such their performance reflects its image.
Their 71-14 loss to the Elephants capped a dismal run which had seen them being on the wrong end of heavy drubbings such as the 74-5 defeat by the Boland Kavaliers the previous weekend.
Before then, they were hammered 94-5 by the Airlink Pumas at their Sisa Dukashe Stadium home in their second-biggest-margin loss after the 97-7 rout by the Griquas.
On Saturday, they welcome the Toyota Cheetahs at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in another clash they are predicted to lose by a big margin.
While Border Rugby president Zuko Badli has finally come out and pleaded for patience while seeking answers, the call might be too late as the match against the Free State outfit is their second last of the season.
Badli must be commended, though, for not hiding behind the desk while things deteriorate on the fields.
This as the women’s team also endured their worst performance when they lost all their Women’s Super League matches.
Badli said the leadership was busy addressing the situation behind the scenes and called for the public to rally behind the team to become the 16th player on the stands.
The Border region remains the breeding ground for rugby with a slew of talent coming from these shores
Though the Bulldogs were loudly cheered by the few spectators that turned up at their Pumas game in Mdantsane, one feels the administration could have done more to ensure a bigger crowd by mobilising support in the township.
Badli and his head-honchos need to strike a balance on how to narrow the gap with their more resourced counterparts which has been ridiculously glaring on the pitch.
The Border region remains the breeding ground for rugby with a slew of talent coming from these shores.
We only need to find a way to retain it and mould it to form the core of senior teams before it is poached by other unions.
For now, the public should stand by the teams, especially the Bulldogs, in their two remaining home games against the Cheetahs and the Valke.
Daily Dispatch
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