‘Panne’ aim to bounce back in Valke league
It’s not been a happy time for Brakpan Rugby Club’s first XV in the newly formed Super League, comprising clubs from the Blue Bulls Union, some from the Valke Rugby Union as well as Rustenburg’s Impala.
The fresh-faced ‘Panne’ team is yet to win a match in this competition and their poor run in the competition was compounded by a 75-14 hammering at the hands of the old foe Impala at Bosman Stadium on April 7.
With a number of players from last season leaving the club the first side is in a rebuilding phase, but the club’s chairman Harry Nieuwenhuis is confident that they can turn around their ill-fortune in the Super League by winning their first Valke Peregrine League match on April 14 when they travel to Vanderbijlpark for a match-up against NWU Vaal.
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“Saturday was a hiding,” said Nieuwenhuis.
“We’re really struggling with our strength in depth, but that was to be expected after losing so many players from the team.
“Bringing our youngsters into the first side is the right thing to do.
“We’ll be tackling the Valke Peregrine League this weekend and we feel that winning and gaining Gold Cup qualification is our priority.
“We desperately need to work on our defensive structures.
“We have been in the games up until halftime and then the wheels fall off on defence.
“We haven’t won a game in 2018 and that is something that our club is definitely not used to.
“It’s a completely new ball game with a new coaching setup.
“We are trying to simplify things for the moment and get the youngsters playing better rugby, but that doesn’t happen overnight.”
Following Saturday’s match, NWU will play their reverse fixture under the lights of Bosman Stadium on April 20.
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