“Community Cup fixtures in our favour” – Poorte

Having qualified to compete in the Cell C Community Cup for a second consecutive year, Roodepoort Rugby Club members believe that the fixture list for next year’s competition is in their favour this time around.

The Cell C Community Cup is recognised as the top club competition in South Africa after replacing the National Club Championship two years ago. The first round of fixtures will commence on Saturday 8 March 2014 (see full fixture list below).

Despite Roodepoort (Golden Lions) being drawn in Pool B along with the 2012 champs from the Sharks, Jonsson College Rovers and the three Free States teams of the Bloemfontein Crusaders, Welkom Club and Welkom Rovers, vice president in charge of club matters and development at Roodepoort Rugby Club, Faris Sader says, “We are happy.

“It will be very interesting considering that we are playing the tougher opposition at home and complete strangers away from home,” Faris told the Record.

“The two Welkom sides are unknown to us and clashes against both will be interesting – they don’t know us and we don’t know them but we cannot underestimate them. We know the Crusaders are a tough side because we played them in Bloemfontein last year; although we won the game (35-14), it came with a cost by losing captain Gareth Hemmingway. But at least it’s their turn to play on our home ground at Rand Leases.

“As far as College Rovers are concerned they will be a true test for us as club. For many years Rovers has been the top club overall at the Sharks and we can’t wait to lock horns in our back yard.”

As far as expectations go, a concerned Faris says, “We want to prove a point at the competition and are looking to finish in the top two in our pool to qualify for the Easter Championship play-offs in George and hopefully reach the final”.

Faris is calling on the Roodepoort public to get behind their team going into the Cell C Community Cup competition.

2014 Cell C Community Cup fixtures (according to the South African Rugby Union – SARU:

Round 1 – Saturday 8 March 2014:

Match 1 (Pool A) – Gap Management Despatch vs Spring Rose (WJ de Wet Stadium, Despatch)

Match 2 (Pool A) – Mossel Bay Barbarians vs Bridgton (D’Almeida Stadium, Mossel Bay)

Match 3 (Pool B) – Roodepoort vs Bloemfontein Crusaders (Rand Leases Sports Ground, Roodepoort)

Match 4 (Pool B) – Jonsson College Rovers vs Welkom Club (KP3, Kings Park, Durban)

Match 5 (Pool C) – BB Truck Noordelikes vs Boksburg (BB Truck Noordelikes Rugby Club, Polokwane)

Match 6 (Pool C) – Roses United vs Brakpan (Pelican Park, Wellington)

Match 7 (Pool D) – Shumba Ferros vs Wesbank (Puma Stadium, Emalahleni/Witbank)

Match 8 (Pool D) – Rustenburg Impala vs Sishen (Rustenburg Impala Rugby Club, Rustenburg)

Byes: Kempston Old Selbornians, Welkom Rovers, Centurion, Hamiltons.

Round 2 – Saturday 15 March 2014:

Match 9 (Pool A) – Bridgton vs Gap Management Despatch (Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn)

Match 10 (Pool A) – Spring Rose vs Kempston Old Selbornians (New Brighton Oval, Epakeni, Port Elizabeth)

Match 11 (Pool B) – Welkom Club vs Roodepoort (Griffons Rugby Stadium B field, Welkom)

Match 12 (Pool B) – Bloemfontein Crusaders vs Welkom Rovers (Clive Solomon Stadium, Heidedal)

Match 13 (Pool C) – Boksburg vs Roses United (Prince George Park, Boksburg)

Match 14 (Pool C) – Centurion vs BB Truck Noordelikes (Centurion Rugby Club, Centurion)

Match 15 (Pool D) – Hamiltons vs Sishen (Stephan Oval, Green Point, Cape Town)

Match 16 (Pool D) – Shumba Ferros vs Rustenburg Impala (Puma Stadium, Emalahleni/Witbank)

Byes: Mossel Bay Barbarians, Jonsson College Rovers, Brakpan, Wesbank.

Round 3 – Saturday 22 March 2014:

Match 17 (Pool A) – Kempston Old Selbornians vs Bridgton (Kempston Park, East London)

Match 18 (Pool A) – Gap Management Despatch vs Mossel Bay Barbarians (WJ de Wet Stadium, Despatch)

Match 19 (Pool B) – Bloemfontein Crusaders vs Jonsson College Rovers (Clive Solomon Stadium, Heidedal)

Match 20 (Pool B) – Welkom Rovers vs Roodepoort (Rovers Rugby Club, Welkom)

Match 21 (Pool C) – Roses United vs Centurion (Pelican Park, Wellington)

Match 22 (Pool C) – Brakpan vs Boksburg (Bosman Stadium, Brakpan)

Match 23 (Pool D) – Sishen vs Shumba Ferros (Sivos Rugby Stadium, Kathu)

Match 24 (Pool D) – Wesbank vs Hamiltons (Wesbank Sports Grounds, Malmesbury)

Byes: Spring Rose, Welkom Club, BB Truck Noordelikes, Rustenburg Impala.

Round 4 – Saturday 29 March 2014:

Match 25 (Pool A) – Mossel Bay Barbarians vs Kempston Old Selbornians (D’Almeida Stadium, Mossel Bay)

Match 26 (Pool A) – Bridgton vs Spring Rose (Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn)

Match 27 (Pool B) – Welkom Rovers vs Welkom Club (Rovers Rugby Club, Welkom)

Match 28 (Pool B) – Roodepoort vs Jonsson College Rovers (Rand Leases Sports Ground, Roodepoort)

Match 29 (Pool C) – Brakpan vs BB Truck Noordelikes (Bosman Stadium, Brakpan)

Match 30 (Pool C) – Boksburg vs Centurion (Prince George Park, Boksburg)

Match 31 (Pool D) – Wesbank vs Rustenburg Impala (Wesbank Sports Grounds, Malmesbury)

Match 32 (Pool D) – Hamiltons vs Shumba Ferros (Stephan Oval, Green Point, Cape Town)

Byes: Gap Management Despatch, Bloemfontein Crusaders, Roses United, Sishen.

Round 5 – Saturday 5 April 2014:

Match 33 (Pool A) – Spring Rose vs Mossel Bay Barbarians (New Brighton Oval, Epakeni, Port Elizabeth)

Match 34 (Pool A) – Kempston Old Selbornians v Gap Management Despatch (Kempston Park, East London)

Match 35 (Pool B) – Jonsson College Rovers vs Welkom Rovers (KP3, Kings Park, Durban)

Match 36 (Pool B) – Welkom Club vs Bloemfontein Crusaders (Griffons Rugby Stadium B field, Welkom)

Match 37 (Pool C) – Centurion vs Brakpan (Centurion Rugby Club, Centurion)

Match 38 (Pool C) – BB Truck Noordelikes vs Roses United (BB Truck Noordelikes Rugby Club, Polokwane)

Match 39 (Pool D) – Rustenburg Impala vs Hamiltons (Rustenburg Impala Rugby Club, Rustenburg)

Match 40 (Pool D) – Sishen vs Wesbank (Sivos Rugby Stadium, Kathu)

Byes: Bridgton, Roodepoort, Boksburg, Shumba Ferros.

Easter Championship Play-offs – Outeniqua Park, George (all matches live on SuperSport. Kick-off times tbc):

Day 1 – Thursday 17 April 2014:

Match 41 (Cup QF1) – Winner Pool C vs Runner-up Pool D

Match 42 (Cup QF2) – Winner Pool B vs Runner-up Pool A

Match 43 (Cup QF3) – Winner Pool D vs Runner-up Pool C

Match 44 (Cup QF4) – Winner Pool A vs Runner-up Pool B

Day 2 – Saturday 19 April 2014:

Match 45 (Losers’ match 1) – Loser Match 41 (QF1) vs Loser Match 42 (QF2)

Match 46 (Losers’ match 2) – Loser Match 43 (QF3) vs Loser Match 44 (QF4)

Match 47 (Cup SF1) – Winner Match 41 (QF1) vs Winner Match 42 (QF2)

Match 48 (Cup SF2) – Winner Match 43 (QF3) vs Winner Match 44 (QF4)

Day 3 – Easter Monday, 21 April 2014:

Match 49 (7th/8th Place Play-off) – Loser Match 45 vs Loser Match 46

Match 50 (5h/6th Place Play-off) – Winner Match 45 vs Winner Match 46

Match 51 (3rd/4th Place Play-off) – Loser Match 47 (SF1) vs Loser Match 48 (SF2)

Match 52 (Cup Final) – Winner Match 47 (SF1) vs Winner Match 48 (SF2)