Richards Bay will be on a mission to sink the smooth-sailing and steady Orlando Pirates’ ship when they meet in the Betway Premiership encounter this afternoon.
Bucs have been cruising and enjoying a trouble-free start to the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season.
The Sea Robbers and the Natal Rich Boys will battle for maximum points at the King Zwelithini Stadium at 3pm.
Last season, Richards Bay was the Buccaneers’ biggest nightmare, as they eliminated them from the Carling Black Label Knockout, drew with them at home in the league, and stunned them with a 1-0 defeat at Orlando Stadium.
Under the tutelage of new coach Brandon Truter, Richards Bay have had a decent start to the season – winning, losing, and drawing their first three matches.
Truter is no stranger to the club, having guided the team in the National First Division between 2018 and 2019.
Following the relegation scare the Natal Rich Boyz faced last season when they had to win the play-offs to retain their top-flight football status, Truter said his target this season is to finish inside the top eight.
“We want to move away from that situation [relegation]; the top eight is the target,” Truter said.
“I have not finished a season outside of the top eight but personally, it’s game by game and we want to win every game that we play,” Truter said.
Despite the good start in the league this season, winning both their opening games, Pirates coach Jose Riveiro said it will be crucial for them to get three points against a team they failed to beat last season.
“Our full attention, trust me, is already in Richards Bay because, if I’m not wrong, I think we played against Richards Bay three times last season and they eliminated us in the Carling Knockout; we drew 0-0 in Durban, and they beat us at home in Orlando.
“So, it goes without saying that this game is going to be very tough for us, and if we want to collect the maximum points there, we need to focus only on that match before anything else,” Riveiro said.
