With a solid performance in the Golden Lions Pirates Grand Challenge, Pirates Rugby Club has secured a position in the 2016 Cell C Community Cup.
As the Grand Challenge nears its end, Pirates sit third on the log. First and second place belong to FNB Pukke and FNB UJ respectively, but university sides are not able to compete in the Community Cup. Pirates will be particularly pleased to have fended off Wanderers Rugby Club.
Pirates and Wanderers are two of the oldest rugby clubs in Johannesburg. The 127-year rivalry is settled for now as Pirates have moved beyond Wanderers by more than five points (The maximum number of points that can be awarded for a game). Pirates are scheduled to play Wanderers on 29 August at home for the coveted Danferd Cup but a win for Wanderers will not be enough to steal the promotion away from Pirates.
The Golden Lions Pirates Grand Challenge, so-named because of the historic Pirates dominance, has been played for more than 100 years. Currently it is one of the competitions that determines the sides that participate in the country-wide Community Cup.
Pirates chairperson Brad Guymer is pleased with the result. “A few years ago, Pirates was in a bad space. A new committee was appointed that contained a lot of old boys who had played rugby here. We set a five-year plan to be the top open club in Gauteng. We’ve managed to achieve that goal in three years,’ said Guymer. “I think we’ve created a good environment where people want to come and play for Pirates. This result has put us on the map in Gauteng and nationally. The challenge now is to stay there.”
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