The Border Bulldogs hope to use their adopted home ground, the Mthatha Stadium, as a fortress to help turn their season around when they host provincial neighbours the EP Elephants in a Carling Currie Cup First Division clash on Saturday (kickoff 3pm).
Not only will the East London-based side return home after playing their last two games away but they will be hoping that taking the match to Mthatha will be a good omen.
The Bulldogs suffered drubbings in their away games, crashing to 45-26 to the SWD Eagles in George before getting walloped 59-12 by the Valke in Kempton Park last weekend.
The losses capped a winless streak for the outfit since the season started, pushing them to the bottom of the log.
Notorious as bad travellers, the team will now hope to use the home-ground advantage though it will mark the first time they will be playing at the new venue.
“At least we will enjoy playing at home in our next two games and that should help us to regroup,” coach David Dobela said.
“We have not been faring well in away matches but as hosts, we have not been that bad.”
The Bulldogs put on a gutsy display in their lone home match when they surrendered the lead to the Leopards right at the death in their season opener at Police Park in East London.
Conceding a last-gasp try saw them eventually go down 26-24 in what would have been a game-changer for the perennial strugglers.
With the Elephants having suffered a similar fate when they conceded two late tries against the Leopards to lose 31-26 in Kariega last weekend, the clash in Mthatha will come down to who has regrouped best.
Dobela said he hoped the match would mark the turning point for his beleaguered side ahead of another home game against the Boland Kavaliers.
“I have insisted that the philosophy for us is to win every game regardless of the opposition, but we cannot run away from the fact that some teams are more formidable than others while some are on the same level with us.
“This is not to undermine anyone but if we cannot start to utilise our home-ground advantage, things will be harder for us going forward.”
The match will be part of a rugby festival in the area also featuring the Border Ladies against the Boland Dames in the Premier Division as a curtain-raiser.
The Border Rugby Union executive will hope for big attendance as it seeks to entrench Mthatha as the alternative home for its senior rugby teams.
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