picture: fuad esack
Things, of course, were always going to be difficult for the Paarl side, as the Collegians outfit are hard to beat at home.
They have that almost unique ability to use the atmosphere at their fortress in Lentegeur to their advantage.
The crowd can be intimidating and that is why, most of the time, it takes nerves of steel, to come out of Lentegeur with positive results.
Everyone who visits Lentegeur must have a story to tell about the home side’s stubbornness in front of those passionate supporters.
Having said that, however, the Vineyards outfit fought hard and the scoreline says it all — they only lost by two points at the end of the day.
The Collegians victory, on one hand, meant that the Mitchell’s Plain outfit are now three places below Vineyards, at number 11, with 23 points after winning three, drawing two and losing five of their 10 league matches so far this season.
That defeat meant that the Dal Josafat-based outfit, Vineyard on the other hand, are now at number eight in the 15-team log with 28 points after winning four, drawing one and losing five of their 10 league matches so far this season.
Topping the Super League B table, and serious promotion contenders, are Vineyards’ neighbours, Paarl RFC.
They are sitting on 42 points after winning eight and losing three of their 11 league matches.
And, hot on their heels, are Helderberg who are on 41 points, having also won eight, drawn one and lost two matches.
Collegians are at home again this weekend. They will welcome 14th placed Hands & Heart in what should be an interesting one, especially considering the Kraaifontein side’s dangerous position in the standings.
Vineyard, who gained promotion to SLB after winning the Super League C title last year, would love to finish as high up in the standings as possible.
And, with four matches to go before the end of the season, the side can still cover a lot of ground. That, of course, will depend on whether they take their chances or not.
And, they have an opportunity to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Bellville RFC, away in Bellville South on Saturday.
But, just as it has been the case with Collegians, Bellville is hard to beat at Bellville South.
Their army of green and gold supporters can also make things difficult for visiting teams. So, Vineyards will have to be on top of their game if they expect positive results, come Saturday.