Trustco United host log leaders FNB Grootfontein in the pick of this weekend’s rugby premier league matches.
Grootfontein have had a great start to the league, winning all five their matches to date, and currently lead Wanderers by two points at the top of the log.
In the process they beat Unam 35-30 and Wanderers 37-32, and last week also beat defending champions FNB Kudus 24-19 at home.
Grootfontein captain Wicus Jacobs, however, says it’s remarkable that they are on top of the log.
“It’s been a long time coming and we have just about the same squad as last year, so that puts us at a bit of an advantage, but we also have many challenges because of the long travelling distances, and to be honest – we’re not even practising, we’re just coming together and playing.
“So it’s actually a miracle for us to be on top of the log. But we’re grounded and we’re not thinking too much about winning the league now, we’re just taking it game by game,” he says.
“It’s definitely a milestone for the club to be in this position at a town where there is not even supposed to be rugby,” Jacobs says.
Grootfontein’s emergence as a rugby powerhouse comes on the back of their first-ever trophy in the premier league last year when they won the JSB Gold Cup, and Jacobs says it has certainly boosted rugby’s profile in the north.
“It’s a massive boost to see a rural team performing well and beating the teams in Windhoek that have three to four training sessions a week. This gives the guys hope.
“After last year’s JSB Cup win we got more playing numbers. The guys are calling us saying they want to play, so there’s still hope for rugby in the north,” Jacobs says.
He says the United encounter will be a great challenge.
“It’s definitley going to be a tough game. We have a few injury concerns and with the travelling there are always some challenges. United is a formidable team which is well coached, and I think it’s going to be a great encounter,” he says.
United are currently third on the log – eight points behind Grootfontein, but a game in hand and victory tomorrow will put them right back in the title race.
Their coach, Herman Lintvelt, says they are expecting a tough match.
“Grootfontein aren’t the log leaders for nothing. All the teams were off during May, and we only had our first match last weekend against Dolphins at the coast. It went a bit shaky and you could see the guys were a bit rusty,” he says.
“We are excited and looking forward to the game, but we also know we must be 100% focused if we want to beat them. I don’t think they travel so well and play as well as they do at home, so it will also be a big challenge for them.
“But they have a very good team, so we are looking forward to the game. We have a plan for tackling them, but we will have to see how that develops on the day,” he says.
“We have a lot of young players in the team, but we are satisfied with how it’s gone so far. We only lost our game against Wanderers in injury time, but it was the same against Kudus when we beat them in the last move of the match.
“I think there is very little to choose from between at least four or five teams in the Premier League this year. I think anyone of those can win on the day,” Lintvelt says.
In other matches tomorrow, Wanderers host FNB Western Suburbs, FNB Rehoboth host FNB Unam, and Kudus host FNB Reho Falcon.
