Back to Madibaz Stadium for semi-final bound Comets

The two teams met a few weeks ago and it was the men from the Nelson Mandela Bay that edged that encounter. The two teams were well-matched in that first meeting with the home side claiming a narrow 25-19 win.

Two weeks later and the sides will go toe-to-toe once again, and for FNB Varsity College head coach Jeremy McLaren, this time around the team will have a better idea of what to expect from the Madibaz.

"The focus for us is to start better than we did in the round robin stages," McLaren said. "We went behind early in the match and then were 25-5 down in the second half so we will need to be more alert.

"We did manage to play some decent rugby to get ourselves back into the game, but there was not enough time for us to win it, so we know that we need to start better than we did in that game."

A first season in a competition like the FNB Varsity Shield came with high hopes, but muted expectations from the coaching staff. McLaren knew that he had the players to do well, however their expectations have been exceeded.

"The focus for us at the beginning of the campaign was to just stay in the Shield for next season.

"I felt that we had the right types of people and players to finish above that relegation fight but to be in a semi-final has been a dream start and hopefully we can keep going for two more games."

For the coach, there has been far more to this success than rugby ability. He's felt a greater connection off the field that's translated into strong performances on it.

"This group has grown to become really close and the vibe in the squad has been fantastic.

"Travelling with these guys has been phenomenal and you learn a lot from players away from rugby and it's more than just a game.

Heading into this semi-final McLaren believes that his side is in a good place and feels they are going into the match off the back of their most impressive performance this season, a 37-18 victory of the FNB WSU All Blacks in East London

"I think the match of the tournament for us was the game against Walter Sisulu last week.

"It was a lovely ground and a wonderful experience down in East London and I think the team put in their best performance there.

"The guys really played well, and a lot of the puzzle pieces came together there, and I hope we can show that again on Friday.

"The team are determined to make that final because they want to show a better performance against Tuks than they did during the group stages," McLaren explained.

The Comets will go into this semi-final with a settled squad and McLaren will return to his 6-2 split on the bench with six forwards and two backline reserves.

They have the luxury of selecting the same starting XV that beat WSU last week with the only change coming on the bench with Garren Muller returning in place of scrumhalf Josh Aissing.

FNB VC COMETS V FNB MADIBAZ

1 Daniel Van Huizen, 2 Jacques Marais, 3 Siyabonga Dube, 4 Robert Everson, 5 Werner Coetzee, 6 Juan Steyl, 7 Enzo Van Niekerk, 8 Mandisi Nkutha, 9 Abande Mthembu, 10 Frederick Marx, 11 Nkazimulo Mzolo, 12 Macmillian Mudara, 13 Mbasa Nkonki, 14 Sivuyisiwe Mpendu, 15 Tshegofatso Ramaloko.

REPLACEMENTS

16 Johan Viljoen, 17 Nathi Ntuli, 18 Sonwabo Maseko, 19 Sinelifa Ncwana, 20 Garren Müller, 21 Michael Horak, 22 Luke Horak, 23 Benjamin Field.