Progress beat Park to move closer to clinching playoff berth

Champions Progress moved closer to booking a berth in the EC Super 14 club rugby quarterfinals when they beat Park 19-7 at Londt Park on Saturday. Thanks to wins over Trying Stars and Park in their opening two Group A pool matches, the Kariega side are well placed to earn a clash against a Border team in the knockout rounds. Which four EP teams reach the knockouts will be decided when the final round of pool games are contested on Saturday.

Progress stormed into a 19-0 halftime lead at Londt Park against a home side who were slow out of the starting blocks. However, Park showed plenty of fight in the second half to keep Progress scoreless and register seven points of their own. Progress round off the group stage of the competition with a clash against Hankey Villagers on Saturday.

Progress will be determined to end with a win over Villagers to ensure they have momentum if they reach the knockout rounds. All Saturday’s final group matches will be played at neutral venues, which have still to be decided by the organisers. If an EP team reaches the final against a Border team, it has been decided that Border will host the game because the 2025 final was played in Gqeberha.

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Star of Hope continued their impressive start when they ran out narrow 10-7 winners over Joubertina United in a hard-fought clash in KwaNobuhle. In the opening round, a well-drilled Star of Hope side pulled off a thrilling 23-19 away win over Jeffreys Bay to set the scene for what could be a memorable season. After kicking off their campaign with a win over Park, Hankey Villagers slumped to a 25-12 defeat against Trying Stars in Alexandria.

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