Hawies Fourie has made Boland’s ambitions crystal clear – win the SA Cup this year and next year the Currie Cup.
After finishing fourth in last season’s SA Cup to secure Currie Cup qualification, the Cavaliers backed it up with a stirring run to the semi-finals before bowing out to the Lions. Now they want more.
And Fourie believes the evidence is there.
“I believe we are good enough to beat any of those teams in the SA Cup,” he told Netwerk24 at a function at Sanlam’s headquarters in Bellville.
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Boland’s growth has been measurable. In 2024 they went down 38-7 to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. A year later, they turned that result on its head with a 45-29 win.
“So within a year we managed to improve from a 31-point defeat to a 16-point win,” Fourie pointed out.
The same pattern followed against the Pumas. After a 49-0 defeat in Mbombela in 2024, Boland lost narrowly in the SA Cup the following year before claiming a 29-26 Currie Cup win in Mbombela.
Those margins tell a story of steady progress and growing belief.
Fourie believes Griquas will be the biggest obstacle in their road to glory, with the defending Currie Cup champions high on confidence and several players who’ve had a taste of intercontinental rugby.
Winger Dylan Maart has shone for the Stormers in this season’s Vodacom URC and Investec Champions Cup, while utility back Gershwin Wehr has done the same at Sale Sharks in England. Griquas captain Cebo Dlamini has quickly become an integral part of the Dragons setup in Wales during the first ten rounds of the URC.
“We really want to beat them,” Fourie said.
“Griquas are the defending champions and they won’t be easy to beat. It’ll require massive effort on our part,” the veteran coach said.
SA Cup
Participating teams: Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs, Eastern Province, Cheetahs, Griquas, Griffons, Leopards, Pumas, SWD Eagles, Valke
Defending champions: Pumas
Opening round: 7 March (single round of matches with two semi-finals and a final)
Final: 23 May
Currie Cup Premier Division
Participating teams: Vodacom Bulls, Sharks, Western Province, Lions and the top four qualifiers in the SA Cup
Defending champions: Griquas
Opening round: 18 July (single round of matches with two semi-finals and a final)
Final: 12 September
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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