Hamediehs aim to salvage Super League B campaign

Mark Ward

Hamediehs RFC’s newly-appointed coach, former Springbok mentor Peter de Villiers, is confident that his side can still make a late charge for a promotional play-off spot, despite a 31–22 defeat to log leaders Kraaifontein in a crucial Western Province Super League A clash on Saturday.

The defeat leaves Hamediehs with just 23 points on the log as the race for the top six intensifies, while Kraaifontein strengthened their position at the top with 44 points from 11 games. Primrose, on one point less, occupies second spot on the league table.

While the result may not have gone their way, De Villiers believes his side showed glimpses of their potential and insists that their play-off ambitions remain alive.

“It’s going well,” said De Villiers.  “I’m very optimistic about our chances of reaching the play-offs. I think we played very well against Kraaifontein. Look, some of the referees’ calls were questionable, but we move on.”

Hamediehs, however, stayed in contention during a closely contested first half as Kraaifontein opened the scoring through a try by centre Trevino Hefca before lock forward Christian Hechter added a second. Flyhalf Lyal Marcus slotted over one of the conversions to give the home side a narrow 12–10 lead at the break.

Hamediehs responded just before the break with a well-worked try by flyhalf Yasfir Davids, who also slotted over the conversion and added a penalty to keep his side in contention.

But Kraaifontein tightened the screws in the second half largely through a combination of defensive lapses on Hamediehs' side, which saw the home side run in three more tries, courtesy of Timmy Van Aswegen, Liam de Wet, and Erasmus Visser.

To their credit, Hamediehs continued to fight until the final whistle, with Imtiyaaz Isaacs and Mogammed Tauriq each going over for tries to give the scoreline a more respectable look, proving that De Villiers’ men still have plenty of fight left in them.

Hamediehs must secure maximum points in their remaining matches and rely on favorable outcomes elsewhere to clinch a top-six spot and a play-off berth.

The coming weeks will prove crucial for the former Springbok mentor and his charges as they look to salvage their campaign and keep their promotion hopes alive.