“Asingo makhwenkwe”, which translates to “we are not small boys”, is the warning that Fort Beaufort United captain Ashley Siyanda Roqo issued to Progress ahead of their Eastern Cape Super 14 quarterfinal at Central Field in Kariega on Saturday.
Roqo said being psyched for that fixture was more crucial than physical strength, though he acknowledged it would be a dogfight up front in the pack.
When the teams last clashed in the Super 14 final at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha in 2025, the veteran loose forward felt his team was psychologically fragile, which is why they lost that game.
That was caused not by the stage fright of the men from KwaMaqoma being in their first provincial final, but more by intimidation in the stands brought by Progress spectators who travelled from Kariega to support their side.
Roqo said it was a “different culture” from what they are accustomed to in their matches in the Border region.
“At Police Park in East London, for example, you do get those odd chirps from the fans, but when we met with Progress last year, it was different; the noise level was very high in the crowd, and that was in Gqeberha. For sure it will be twice that in Kariega,” he said.
Roqo said they are prepared for the hostile atmosphere.
On the field of play, tactically, they have studied how Progress operates.
The skipper said they have plans in place to stop Progress’s frequent hard-running backs who attack from all areas of the field to catch opponents off guard.
FB United are preparing to up their game on defence.
Roqo said they know that Progress are quick at identifying and punishing defensive lapses, often using “gaping holes” in the opposition’s line to rack up high scores.
Roqo believes his team have peaked coming into the quarterfinals compared to their group stage outings in the past four weeks.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted in the group stages; for instance, that Komga United game we should have won. We did well against WSU Eagles to get that win, but even there we wanted more. In the Police one we did very well; they are a strong team,” he said.
Roqo said they had taken confidence from their last group fixture against East London Police in East London about two weeks ago, before the one-week break in the tournament.
Though they were on the losing side of that game by 26-23, they showed an almost 10/10 performance offensively and defensively.
The same will be needed in Kariega.
“We also have experienced guys in the backline and forwards who have played in professional rugby, so we are evenly matched in that.”
Roqo urged fans in KwaMaqoma and those close to Kariega to support them at the game.
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