A heroic Gardens side kept their mounting hopes of Gold Cup glory alive when they edged bitter rivals Saldanha 22-17 after a riveting second-round showdown in SA's premier national club rugby tournament in Kariega on Saturday.
Thanks to a momentous win in front of their joyous home fans at a rain-soaked Central Field, Gardens advanced to the quarterfinals where they will carry EP's flag with pride on Saturday.
Making the victory extra sweet for Gardens was the fact that they were able to exact revenge on Saldanha for a 54-25 defeat they suffered against the West Coast side at the Saldanha Easter tournament in April.
The Gardens try-scorers in a tight contest were Naylon Goede, Donlic Natal and Pedro Barendse.
The outcome of the game was in the balance in the final minutes, with the score locked up at 17-17 after 70 minutes of pulsating action which held the crowd spellbound.
It took a well-worked try from replacement hooker Barendse in the 71st minute to break the deadlock and clinch a famous win for the home side.
Never-say-die Saldanha, however, refused to throw in the towel and launched a furious assault on the Gardens tryline in the final moments.
The visitors took the ball through 16 phases in search of a late try, but were held out by a resolute Gardens side, who defended as though their lives depended on the outcome.
Gardens assistant coach Clyde Theron said: "It was a very good game, but we could not play our brand of running rugby because of the wet weather conditions.
"So we had to grind it out, and our defence was very good.
"Saldanha are a very good team, but in the end Gardens were more hungry for the win."
The Kariega side left no stone unturned in their bid for success and roped in the services of former Springbok coaches Allister Coetzee and Matt Proudfoot to help them prepare for their biggest game of the season.
Gardens are gunning to emulate Despatch (champions in 2013) to become only the second EP team to have succeeded in lifting the coveted trophy.
EP's other representatives in the Gold Cup, Harlequins, slipped to a narrow 17-14 defeat against Bloemfontein Police in the opening round two weeks ago.
Powerhouse Border teams EL Police and Young Leopards were both beaten in first-round clashes.
EL Police were beaten 38-24 by Durbell in KuGompo City and Young Leopards were thrashed 66-18 by Villager in Cape Town.
The Gold Cup is often compared to England's famous FA Cup soccer tournament, where grassroots teams from across SA are given an opportunity to shine on the national stage.
This year’s line-up is arguably one of the strongest in years, with no less than six current or former national club champions in the draw, including Villager and 2015 champions Durbanville-Bellville (both WP), College Rovers and Crusaders (both KZN), Pirates (Lions) and three-time defending champions, Naka Bulls of Pretoria.
Saturday’s Gold Cup results:
South section: Villager 27 Durbanville-Bellville 32, Roses United 24 Bloemfontein Police 17, Gardens 22 Saldanha 17.
North section: Centurion 45 Naka Bulls 46, Brakpan 86 White River 7, Northam Rhinos 42 Northam Wolves 24, Vereeniging 47 Randfontein 48.
