Bishops take confidence into Southern Suburbs opener vs SACS

Bishops kick off the first of Cape Town’s iconic Southern Suburbs derbies when they host SACS on what’s expected to be a wet and heavy Piley Rees Field.

It’s been a real rollercoaster season so far, but there’s no doubt Bishops are much improved on the 2024 version. On the Eastern Cape tour, St Andrew’s nicked a win with a last-second penalty — a draw was on, but that’s not really Bishops’ attacking way. True to the DNA which head coach Wes Chetty has worked hard to preserve, they hit back a few days later with a fluid, high-tempo win over Michaelhouse, delivering classic Bishops rugby: ball movement, offloads, quick taps — the works. A convincing performance that had the Bishops crowd smiling.

Their Saints Fest trip drew some criticism as consistency eluded them. A costly lapse against Hartpury let that game slip late, and Helpmekaar proved too strong in a one-sided affair. But the big talking point was their most recent match against a loaded Paul Roos outfit. Bitter-sweet stuff — Bishops stayed in the fight at 22–10 until PRG brought on eight fresh players — understandable, given their looming Wilderklawer clash with Affies — and pulled away in the closing stages. Still, it was a proper performance that’s created real optimism heading into derby week.

SACS, by contrast, are a gritty, well-drilled side under top coach Nick Maurer. With no standout superstars outside of their lively fullback, they’ve built success on structure and discipline. A strong Noord-Suid showing included a convincing win over KES, followed by arguably their best performance of the season against Boland Landbou. They led 18–7 for over an hour before two late tries against the run of play denied them a deserved win. They were solid over Easter in Jozi too. But their last outing was flat — Stellenberg’s young side completely outplayed them. So, heading into this clash, Bishops have the momentum and are surging with belief, while SACS need to bounce back and rediscover the rhythm they showed earlier in the year.

One of the highlights could be the battle of the back rows. SACS have had good value from the effective Siphesihle Mbungendlu, Daniel Grant, and Tandolwethu Sitole. They’ll face a strong Bishops trio led by recent ex-Paarl Boys/Paul Roos recruits Ethan Venter and Jack Venter, and the hardworking Uzoma Ngcwangu, who is a good link player.

The weather’s going to pose a proper challenge, which is a shame. SACS have a gem in Quewinn Lackay — small, sharp, and seriously dangerous — but he needs drier ground to really spark. Bishops will be looking to keep getting mileage out of another strong new addition in outside centre Eljaron Geduld, who’s been a handful so far.

 

SOUTHERN SUBURBS 2024				BISH	BOSCH	SACS	BERG
Sat.20Apr	Rondebosch	55-22	SACS	–	6	0	–
Sat.27Apr	Bishops	08-35	Wynberg	0	–	–	6
Sat.04May	Wynberg	27-49	Rondebosch	–	6	–	0
Sat.04May	SACS	29-07	Bishops	0	–	6	–
Sat.01Jun	Bishops	16-31	Rondebosch	0	6	–	–
Sat.01Jun	Wynberg	29-30	SACS	–	–	4	2
Sat.03Aug	SACS	05-43	Rondebosch	–	6	0	–
Sat.03Aug	Wynberg	38-16	Bishops	0	–	–	6
Sat.10Aug	Rondebosch	19-07	Wynberg	–	5	–	1
Sat.10Aug	Bishops	12-10	SACS	4	–	2	–
Sat.17Aug	Rondebosch	22-05	Bishops	0	6	–	–
Sat.17Aug	SACS	07-09	Wynberg	–	–	2	4
			POINTS	4	35	14	19
			WINS	1	6	2	3
			Position	4	1	3	2
				BISH	BOSCH	SACS	BERG

Scoring
MOST VICTORIES WINS THE SS4 CHAMPIONSHIP
4pts for a win, 3pts for a draw
Margin of victory points:
Greater than 14 = 2pts to the winning team
Between 8 & 14 = 1pt to the winning team, 1pt to the losing team
Less than 8 = 2pts to the losing team

“”””””””

SOUTHERN SUBURBS 2023				BISH	BOSCH	SACS	BERG
Sat.06May	Bishops	31-25	SACS	4	–	2	–
Sat.13May	Wynberg	10-14	Bishops	4	–	–	2
Sat.13May	SACS	07-22	Rondebosch	–	6	0	–
Sat.27May	Rondebosch	20-16	Wynberg	–	4	–	2
Sat.10Jun	Rondebosch	08-13	Bishops	4	2	–	–
Sat.10Jun	SACS	17-30	Wynberg	–	–	1	5
Sat.12Aug	Bishops	20-27	Wynberg	2	–	–	4
Sat.12Aug	Rondebosch	29-21	SACS	–	5	1	–
Sat.19Aug	SACS	25-27	Bishops	4	–	2	–
Sat.19Aug	Wynberg	20-21	Rondebosch	–	4	–	2
Sat.26Aug	Bishops	35-36	Rondebosch	2	4	–	–
Sat.26Aug	Wynberg	36-14	SACS	–	–	0	6
			POINTS	20	25	6	21
			WINS	4	5	0	3
			Position	3	1	4	2
				BISH	BOSCH	SACS	BERG