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Cape Town - Cape Cobras assistant coach Faiek Davids is wary of the rejuvenated Knights ahead of their do-or-die One-Day Cup clash in Cape Town on Thursday.
The match, which is a day game that starts at 10:00 at Newlands on Human Rights Day, comes as the competition reaches breaking point when the semi-final picture is set to become a whole lot clearer.
The hosts are amongst the front-runners to secure their spot in the play-offs with one win likely to be enough to secure them a spot in the top four.
They are currently fourth with 16 points, the same as third-placed Dolphins, with the Warriors, whom they face in their final game on Saturday, second on 18 points. The Titans have already secured their semi-final berth.
Behind the Cobras, though, sit the in-form Knights, whose back-to-back bonus-points wins have shot them up to 14 points.
“They’ve turned it around massively by winning with bonus points in their last two games,” Davids said. “They have 10 points from the past two games alone and are obviously a side on the up.
“But we’re still very confident, I think we’ve had one poor game, but bar that one, we know exactly what we need to do, and we’ll be ready for the challenge. It’s a home game for us and we’re confident about it.”
Looking ahead to the permutations for the competition, Davids is confident that victory over the Central Franchise will be enough to secure progress. “It’s a big game for us and we know that if we can win it, we’ll be securing a semi-final place…home or away will be determined by the weekend,” he added.
“There’s everything to play for in this one. Our preparations have been a bit curtailed due to the internationals that have been played here.
“But we had a training session yesterday and we have another one today (Wednesday). We all know the importance of this match against the Knights.”
For Knights coach Alan Kruger, the match cannot come soon enough. Winless after six games, they have suddenly turned the tables with two big wins over the Warriors and the Dolphins.
“It’s always nice to win and we feel now that we have some great momentum behind us,” he stated. “The dressing room is really buzzing at the moment and rightfully so after the way we won the last two. From the position we were to now, it’s unbelievable, you can feel the vibe.
“All of a sudden, all the teams are in the mix for the final three places. For ourselves and the Cobras it’s the same. Both of us are in the mix.”
