Mancosa Rhinos survive Premier League cut

MANCOSA Rhinos kept their Premier League status intact after beating UKZN Impis 20-17 in Pietermaritzburg on Friday evening in their last Fidelity Security Moor Cup match for the season.

The local outfit, coached by Charles Mndaweni, finished among the bottom five after a roller-coaster season that left supporters on the edge of their seats.

KZNRU announced earlier in the season that the bottom three sides would automatically be relegated to the First Division for 2018, which placed the local squad in a pressure cooker situation.

Despite beating a number of sides in the first round, Rhinos were grouped at the bottom alongside South Coast Warriors, Newcastle Highlanders, Jaguars and UKZN Impis.

Rhinos had a bye in the first round and lost to South Coast Warriors away from home, placing immense pressure on the club that has been in the Premier League for decades.

But the boys managed to bounce back by beating Newcastle Highlanders and Jaguars at home, giving stalwart club members hope, with the latest victory cementing their spot in the Premier League for next season.

But with the club finances being a major issue, development players coming through the ranks and not being on par with the Durban-based clubs and coaching staff not being paid, what does the future hold for Rhinos come 2018?

Reports of the Rhinos staying on board for next season has been confirmed by an unnamed source and coaches will stay on despite not getting a salary.

Importing quality players to the club appears to be a pipe dream and local talent will just have to step up like they have been doing for a number of seasons.

Rhinos will have a break this weekend as the final round of games are played to round up the Fidelity Security Moor Cup.

After that, they will join all the other Premier League and First Division sides to compete in the Castle Murray Cup knock-out competition before the official end of the season.

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