The Bulls Daisies have remained unchanged in their matchday 23 that is bound to feature in the final of the 2023 SA Rugby Women’s Premier Division competition. The Daisies will welcome the DHL Western Province to Loftus Versfeld on Saturday 26 August 2023, for what will be the Tshwane-based outfit’s first appearance in a women’s final in 13 seasons.
Entry to the venue is free and kick-off is set for 15h00 in the afternoon.
Head coach, Hayden Groepes has made one minor tweak to the side, switching Zintle Nonkosana for Unathi Mali who started off the bench in the semifinal. Elsewhere, the Daisies mentor has opted to maintain consistency as his herd looks to etch their names in history and become the first side to win the competition with a 100% winning record since the introduction of a double-round season.
Assistant coach, Mandisa Williams said that the Daisies making the final is already a remarkable achievement because nothing is guaranteed in playoffs.
“Every week has been tough and we probably went into last week feeling a bit more pressure because nothing is guaranteed in the playoffs, not even if you get there with a clean record. We were nervy because 12 from 12 could have meant nothing if we did not advance,”
“This week we have reviewed and previewed what lies ahead and now we are fine-tuning our skills and preparing ourselves to be as mentally ready as we can be. Other than that, there is nothing extra special that we are doing, we are just simply fine tuning and polishing ourselves for the final based on what we have seen throughout this season.”
Williams continued: “The loss of Sizo (Sizophila Solontsi) and Zintle (Mpupha) has also been big in the sense that we have lost game breakers, dominant players with ball in hand and on the defense but we have a motivated squad that has also raised their hand and stepped up,”
“We expect a tough challenge against Province this weekend, we expect nothing less. However, we must continue to trust our processes and structures. We have dominated specific areas and that is what we are polishing, those critical aspects of the game that will help us come Saturday,”
“The season has been long but the ladies remain motivated and for us as coaches we do not want to put them under pressure but emphasise pure enjoyment over everything. It is the last game and they need to enjoy it in order to be as clinical as we want them to be,”
“The ladies are good go!” concluded Williams.
Those planning to come to support the Daisies will stand a chance to win their share of R 10 000 PUMA vouchers. All you have to do is rock up as a squad dressed in your replica Bulls Daisies or Vodacom Bulls PUMA replica jersey, and the best-dressed squad on the day will walk away with more than just great Loftus memories.
BULLS DAISIES STARTING XV: 1. Asithandile Ntoyanto, 2. Micke Gunter, 3. Yonela Ngxingolo, 4. Vainah Ubisi, 5. Anathi Qolo, 6. Lerato Makua, 7. Rights Mkhari, 8. Lusanda Dumke (c), 9. Rumandi Potgieter, 10. Libbie Janse van Rensburg (vc), 11. Simamkele Namba, 12. Jacomina Cilliers, 13. Unathi Mali, 14. Ayanda Malinga, 15. Byhandre Dolf
BULLS DAISIES IMPACT SQUAD: 16. Xolelwa Diliza, 17. Lebogang Ralebona, 18. Rachelle du Plessis, 19. Sinelitha Noxeke, 20. Kyla De Vries, 21. Unam Tose, 22. Zintle Nonkosana, 23. Maria Tshiremba
MANAGEMENT: Hayden Groepes – Head Coach, Mandisa Williams – Assistant Coach, Dr. Sbu Ntuli – Team Doctor, Karabo Morokane – Physiotherapist, Lenel Allison – Physiotherapist, Tayla Chidrawi – Strength & Conditioning, Nokuthula Nene – Technical Analyst, Luyolo Tandani – Logistic Manager, Swazi Bisset – Partnerships Manager, Thando Manana – Women’s High-Performance Manager
BULLS DAISIES SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- The Bulls Daisies collected 60 points from the 12 round-robin matches
- The Daisies become the first side to win 13 from 13 with this season being the first time in the competition there has been semi-finals
- The Daisies are the only team to make it to the finals of this season undefeated
- The Daisies have scored more than 100 points on 3 occasions
- Their biggest winning margin was 0-105 against the Lions closely followed by a 107-3 win over the Sharks
- The Daisies have scored 120 Tries, conceding only 8 – that is 766 points and only conceded 59
