Repressed emotions could bubble over when bitter rivals Eastern Province and Border meet in a SuperSport Rugby Challenge clash in Mdantsane on Sunday.
This derby always stirs the blood and EP’s Elephants can expect a hostile atmosphere at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium, where regional pride will be at stake.
Organisers expect 15 000 fans to attend the all-day triple-header which will pit the south section’s two worst-performing teams against one another.
A big motivating factor for three of the Elephants players to shine is that they have been invited to join Southern Kings PRO14 training sessions.
With a full-time professional contract in the offing, prop Zandre Vos, loose forward Bakkies Brown and fullback Michael Botha will be determined to put their best foot forward.
Despite their poor start, EP can still climb above the Bulldogs on the log if they win their final two games.
The Elephants have five points after six outings, while the second-from-bottom Bulldogs have 11 points behind their name after seven matches.
When EP faced the Bulldogs in the opening round of the competition, the East London side emerged narrow 22-17 winners.
After trailing 10-3 at the break, Border turned the tables on the Elephants when they had the wind at their backs in a hard-fought showdown.
EP coach Ryan Felix raised the stakes for his team when he issued a challenge ahead of the showdown.
“I have challenged the players to put in an 80-minute performance,” he said.
This is the fourth festival after previous all-day events at the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele, the Impala Rugby Club in Rustenburg and the Bridgton Sports Ground in Oudtshoorn.
Elephants captain Siya Mdaka has promised his team will go back to the drawing board and work hard to fix their mistakes before their final two games
The 15 teams in the competition are divided into three pools (North, South and Central) of five teams.
Each team plays home and away matches against the other four in their pool over 10 weeks.
The top two teams from each pool, along with the two thirdplaced teams with the best record, will progress to the playoffs, which will comprise quarterfinals, a semifinal and a final.
The tournament winners will pocket a handsome prize of R500,000 when the competition ends on July 15.
The action starts in Mdantsane at 10.30am when club sides Black Eagles and Ntlaza Lions meet.
This will be followed by a Rugby Challenge clash between the Sharks and Griquas at 1pm.
Gates open at 9am and entry is free.