Three points on the road will be the objective for the University of the Free State in round five of Varsity Football when they battle it out with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.
Kovsies are still in a strong position to reach the semi-finals of the tournament for a second year running, but they are aware of the fact that to reach the knockout rounds they will have to secure that elusive away win.
In their two previous trips away from home, UFS fell short in Mafikeng with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the log-leading North-West University, while they shared the points with the defending champions, University of Johannesburg last week in Soweto.
Round five provides the perfect opportunity for the team from the Free State to collect a full house of points when they go head-to-head with the struggling Impi.
UKZN are currently languishing at the bottom of the table with just one point from their previous four outings, which resulted in three defeats and a single draw. While Kovsies are fairly confident heading to Durban, they are aware of their wounded opponent and expect another tough challenge.
“We have a refreshed mindset coming into this week,” Kovsies midfielder, Bradwell Gouws told Varsity Football.
“This is because we drew to UJ in Soweto last week. The approach will be different this time around and we will be looking to secure the three points.”
He also added that an adjusted mindset may prove to be the right tonic to regain that confidence with the ball in front of goal, but execution will be vital in the game that they view as a crucial one.
Not being able to score goals in away games has hurt the Blues somewhat and this is something that has been addressed in the build-up to the game on the East Coast.
“Finding the net was a bit difficult last week against UJ, and I think that guys are more focused this week on scoring goals,” Gouws added.
“It is the business end and it’s a very crucial game for us. We do have a plan in place and hopefully, we’re able to execute it well.”
With three rounds remaining before the playoffs, Kovsies can do themselves a world of favours by managing to find the back of the net and collect the three points in KwaZulu-Natal.
Thursday night’s tie between UKZN and UFS at the Howard College Rugby Stadium will kick off at 18:30.
You can get information on how to get tickets here.
By Morgan Piek.
