The Border Bulldogs will not have the services of head coach Dumisani Mhani for their opening game of the Currie Cup First Division season against the Leopards in Potchefstroom on Saturday, as he is on bereavement leave.
His assistant, former Springboks Women’s mentor Lungisa Kama will be in the dugout and entrusted to marshal the troops.
“Mhani is still on leave as he also lost his brother after the funeral of his wife.
“On Saturday, he will be burying his brother.
“Kama is currently responsible for the team,” the union’s president Zuko Badli said.
The Bulldogs will be hoping to get their first win of the year against the Leopards.
They were well off the mark in trying to secure qualification for the Currie Cup Premier Division during the SA Cup early in the year.
Border have not been in the top flight of SA rugby since 1999.
They did not register a win in the competition and on top of that, suffered three century losses.
Mhani said many of those lacklustre results were because the team was still gelling.
He also argued that they played against tier one professional teams, while Border were regarded as semi-pro in terms of resources.
It will be different in the First Division, with most of the teams level in terms of resources.
The Leopards, together with the Griffons, Eastern Province, Valke and SWD Eagles are the other teams in the competition.
The Bulldogs gave the Leopards a tough time in their last meeting in March in East London.
In that game, they took a dagger to the heart as the Leopards slotted the winning penalty on the sound of the hooter for a 28-25 win at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane.
The Bulldogs had led 17-12 at the break against a team coached at the time by former England and Springboks assistant Matthew Proudfoot.
Riaan van Straten has taken over as head coach since then.
The mentor, who previously coached in Russia, said though they beat Border earlier in 2024, they would need to produce a much stronger performance this time around as they aim to start the competition on the right foot.
“The players have worked really hard. We haven’t had much time, but in the three-week preparation period, we’ve done as much as we possibly could.
“Now it’s a matter of getting onto the field and executing,” Van Straten told OFM Sport on Wednesday.
“We definitely want to start well, and we’re not underestimating Border.
“In the SA Cup, we only beat them by three points — it was a penalty after the hooter. So it was a very tough, grinding win, and quite far off our standards.
“But we’re determined to raise the bar and start strong in this competition.”
Daily Dispatch
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