Cavaliers not getting carried away by shocking Province as Pumas lie in wait in SRC semis

For someone who all-but predicted that his Boland Cavaliers side would beat DHL Western Province in their bid to advance to their first SuperSport Rugby Challenge semifinal, Randall Modiba wasn’t exactly basking in the glory of vindication in the immediate aftermath of the game.

The dice had been loaded against the Cavaliers, a side of modest means and mostly workaday players, as they approached the Cape Town festival at Florida Park in Ravensmead. Their mathematics for advancement was an equation as stiff as it was simple: they needed to win the game against an unbeaten opponent they are not in the habit of beating.

But Modiba had refused to see it as a Mission Impossible – in fact he says he used that question in the build-up to challenge his troops – citing last year’s results (a draw and a one-point defeat by Province) as his reason for thinking the unthinkable was doable.

Yet when it came to pass with the tensest of 22-21 victories he wasn’t exactly gloating: “It would be arrogant to say that it wasn’t a surprise. The guys worked hard this week, we were spot on with our previews in terms of prepping for this game.

“But I must tell you Western Province put a lot of pressure on us in that second half. They showed why they’re a quality side in this competition. But all credit to our players for understanding the importance of where we are in terms of growth as a team, so all credit to them for staying in the fight as a team for the full 80 minutes.”

The Cavaliers’ win meant they pushed the Toyota Free State XV out of the semifinals as the victory pushed them to a second place finish in the South Section, a losing bonus point behind Western Province.

Modiba may have been reluctant to crow, but he wasn’t reticent to point out what an achievement making the semifinal, their first in the competition’s three-year history, this was for his team and the Boland region.

“We are officially the only non-franchise union there,” he said. “We don’t always want to fall back on limited resources and limited budgets, looking at the other teams that have made it into the semifinals.

“But that is the reality and we must dig deep three times as much as the other teams because of player depth and just in terms of budget resources and infrastructure. This is a major stepping stone for Boland in terms of where we’re going, so we must humbly look at it as the beginning.”

Modiba was at pains to voice his gratitude to those responsible for the existence of the competition: “I must say thank you to SuperSport and SA Rugby for exposing the non-franchise guys against the franchise teams and giving the players – who are the custodians of the game – the opportunity to compete on such a platform for the bigger picture of South African rugby.

“We must just cash in on this opportunity now that we’ve laid this foundation for the union.”

Next up for the Cavaliers in the semifinals, which will be at the KaNyamazane Stadium in Nelspruit on Sunday, are the ISG Pumas, another team that has gone through the group stages of the competition unbeaten.

After the Province takedown, they could be mistaken for having experience in playing undefeated sides, but Modiba is all caution about the defending champions: “The Pumas are a champion team, a mature team, well-drilled and well-coached, and they know what they want out of this competition.

“So it’s going to be a different ballgame in the semifinals against the Pumas.”