Mayoral Cup Champ off to a good start

^{Heinrich Robertson (Media Officer)}
A new coaching structure and fresh goals for the upcoming season – that is the vision of Abbotsdale Rugby Club in 2026.
After winning the Swartland leg of Boland Rugby’s Grand Challenge in 2024, the team went on to compete in the Sanlam Boland Top 12 in both 2024 and 2025. This year the club strengthened its coaching structure with the addition of experienced coaches Wayne Julies, Ryno Benjamin and Warwick May.
The season already started on a positive note when Abbotsdale were crowned Swartland Mayoral Cup champions for the second time in three years.

After promising performances in their pre-season friendlies, attention now shifts to the 2026 Boland Grand Challenge League.
The club’s First XV opened their campaign with a convincing victory over Riebeek United on Saturday.
It is still early in the season and the game initially turned into a stop-start affair due to several handling errors from both teams.

However, the Abbotsdale loose trio of Samkelo Siyo, Rheinard Adonis and Adlo Lendoor began to assert themselves, especially in the second half where they carried the ball with real intent.
The turning point came when lock Delano Baartman broke through the defensive line to spark a counter-attack. Finding support in Adonis, the forwards went through several strong phases before prop Nathan Fortuin crashed over for a try to stretch the lead to 19–7.

From there Abbotsdale found their rhythm. Tries by Lendoor, Carlton Plaaitjies, Adonis and Marvin Malgas sealed a 48–7 runaway victory over the team from the Riebeek Valley.
Speaking after the match, coach Ryno Benjamin acknowledged the inconsistency in the first half but praised the players for keeping their composure and producing a strong second half performance.
Other results:
3rd Team: Abbotsdale won 27-7
2nd Team: Abbotsdale won 48-5