COMMENT BY HERMAN GIBBS
Orlando Pirates will be the favourites to walk away with the R10 million windfall in Saturday’s MTN8 final against Stellenbosch FC at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
After back-to-back wins in the two previous MTN8 finals, the smart money will be in Pirates to make it three in a row, but Stellenbosch will not be deterred by history or reputation.
Last month, the Cape Winelands side did the impossible by defeating the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns on successive Saturdays, without conceding a goal, in the two-legged MTN8 semi-finals.
No Premiership club has achieved this feat over the past eight seasons.
These wins came after Stellenbosch surrendered home-ground advantage in the first leg.
They also surrendered home-ground advantage in the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary first-round tie. Each time, their home matches were played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
On reflection, this call will prove highly advantageous for this week’s final as Steve Barker’s team would have played there more times than Pirates this season.
In three days, @StellenboschFC will be playing in their first-ever #MTN8 final.
— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) October 2, 2024
Here’s how they reached the final 👇 pic.twitter.com/2y4Kd7VhCZ
Stellenbosch’s hotel sponsor have also done their utmost to help with the team’s off-field needs in the KZN coastal city, so it’s no wonder that the Maroons, as they are also known, call Durban their second home.
The house-full signs have already gone up at the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the overwhelming majority of the 56 000-capacity crowd will be Pirates supporters.
A few days ago, Stellenbosch returned from the DRC, where they emerged unscathed at the iconic Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, one of the biggest venues on the African continent.
They secured a 1-1 draw against AS Vita in a noisy cauldron despite playing the entire second half with 10 players. This will prove an ideal dress rehearsal for Saturday’s final.
This season, Stellenbosch goalkeeper Sage Stephens has six clean sheets. Two were recorded in the Sundowns matches.
Stephens, unlike his youthful teammates, has already played in four MTN8 finals, and was on the winning side twice with Moroka Swallows and Cape Town City.
He ranks among the most improved shot-stoppers in the country, and under the guidance of renowned goalkeeper coach Pernell McKop, he has become hugely effective as a distributor, perhaps only second to the irrepressible Ronwen Williams, the Bafana Bafana No 1.
Happiest of birthdays to our goalkeeper coach, Pernell McKop. 🎉
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) October 2, 2024
Join us in wishing him! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/QoglZDfHsX
After selling their best players Iqraam Rayners and captain Deano van Rooyen during the most recent transfer window, Stellenbosch’s recruits have proved to be sound acquisitions.
Newcomers Chumani Butsaka, Ashley Cupido, Omega Mdaka, Bradley Mojela and Sanele Barns have fitted in well.
Pirates have earmarked Mojela and Barns for special attention in the final.
A feature of Stellenbosch’s play has been their aggression, which opponents have battled to cope with. They have often run up yellow cards when showing too much mongrel, trying to thwart opposition attacks.
There isn’t a Premiership team to match Stellenbosch when it comes to playing at pace.
From the opening whistle, they like to play the game at a fast pace when opposition teams are still looking to settle down. This often knocks teams out of their stride for most of the first half.
Given the speed in their ranks, Stellenbosch’s transition play has proved hard to contain, and Pirates will be wary of over-doing their high-press out of fear opposition counter-attacks could prove telling.
All in all, Stellenbosch are well-equipped to triumph in their first MTN8 final appearance.