The Castle Murray Cup quarter-finals will take place on Friday evening, JOS ROBSON reports.
The KwaZulu-Natal clubs had a break last weekend due to the disastrous Test between the Springboks and Pumas at Kings Park.
As has often been said recently, South African rugby has lost touch with its roots, namely club rugby, the very heartbeat of the game, which sadly is now a dwindling part of our game in this country.
Thanks must to go to Fidelity Security, sponsors of the oldest piece of silverware in world rugby, the Moor Cup, together with South African Breweries and Castle. Club rugby has been given a wonderful lifeline in KZN with Castle backing the now oldest knockout competition in world rugby. Castle has become part of club rugby history in the province with the longest sporting sponsorship in South Africa.
Fidelity Security Premier Division champions SA Home Loans Durban Collegians, who have already claimed the Moor Cup, Wylie Cup, Walker Cup the U20 'A' Basil Medway Trophy and the U20 'B' DW Geddie Trophy, will be looking for the clean sweep. Their next hurdle will be against 2014 Murray Cup champions, the fiery South Coast Terriers from Amanzimtoti. Toti have have been a revelation since their emergence in the Premier Division and certainly won't surrender their title easily. Collegians, though, will be up for the challenge.
In the other games, Premier Division runners-up Johnson College Rovers will travel to the capital to play the third-placed side in the league, FNB UKZN Impi, at the Peter Booysen Stadium, while Nashua Crusaders will host Varsity College at Ranleigh Crescent in Durban North.
All eyes will be on the game at Mick Kelly Park in Empangeni with the Zululand Rhinos hosting the only First Division side to make it through to the quarter-finals, Fidelity Security Jaguars. Zululand Rhinos first won the competition in 2008 against all odds, beating Crusaders and Rovers on their way to making history.
The Peter Taylor knockout competition will also see some interesting games with the Premier Division Reserves coming into the mix as they prepare to do battle in their semi-final clashes. Crusaders beat Rovers in the final last year, which raised a few eyebrows as Rovers had been unbeaten up until then. They meet Varsity College, while Rovers face Impi in Pietermaritburg and Durban Collegians entertain Amanzimtoti with Rhinos hosting Jaguars in Zululand.
In the Junior Murray Cup, Maritzburg Collegians travel to Vryheid to meet the locals, South Coast Warriors face Highlanders in Port Shepstone, Hillcrest travel down the line to meet Westville Old Boys and Harlequins are at home to welcome Richards Bay.
